PVL: Deanna Wong determined to help Choco Mucho to first podium finish
MANILA, Philippines — Licking their wounds after their semifinals exit, Deanna Wong remained eager to deliver a bronze finish for Choco Mucho in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.
Wong dished out 30 excellent sets on top of 26 digs and four points to lift the Flying Titans on the cusp of their first podium finish in the PVL after a 25-17, 25-21, 21-25, 25-22 victory over the Cignal HD Spikers in Game 1 of the battle-for-third series on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Article continues after this advertisementThe Ateneo standout said they accepted their semifinals defeat to sister team, Creamline, and moved on to get a decent third place finish.
“Our mindset is to be able to win. We learned our lesson after not making it to the finals. Maybe it’s not our time but we wanna end the (conference) with a win,” Wong told the reporters in Filipino.
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Article continues after this advertisementWong displayed her patience in distributing the plays to her spikers, led by Kat Tolentino’s 23 points, to withstand Cignal, which put up a gallant fight despite the limited action of Rachel Anne Daquis and Ria Meneses.
“Being a leader in the court, I need a lot of patience. I need to push my spikers to give them confidence,” she said.
“I’m happy with the win but the job is not done. There’s still one more game and we wanna get it.”
Wong, who has a huge fanbase that watched her matches from the quarterfinals and semifinals Game 1 at San Juan Arena and in Game 2 and Battle for Third at MOA Arena, is thankful for all the cheers she receives inside the venue and even in social media.
“I’m blessed and so humbled. Like I always say, I don’t know what I did or who I am to receive this amount of support. I’m just really grateful to all of them because they support the whole team. I wish them the best,” she said.
Wong and Choco Mucho try to clinch their podium finish on Friday at Ynares Sports Arena in Antipolo.