Dell Palomata (left) steps up for an injury-hit PLDT squad. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Just two games into the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference, coach Dante Alinsunurin has matched his win total from his debut stint with Choco Mucho in the previous tournament.
If he’s looking for someone to thank, he can start with Sisi Rondina.
The fiery hitter spearheaded the Flying Titans in a 25-19, 25-19 25-14 over Foton on Saturday at FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The former University of Santo Tomas captain, who is returning to indoor action after a highly successful stint in beach volleyball, unloaded a game-high 19 points built on 15 kills, three blocks and an ace to give the Flying Titans an early 2-0 lead in Pool B before the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) break.
“I always show how I work and how I play so I can lead by example to my teammates,” said Rondina, who also had six digs. “I’m happy because we were able to execute our coaches’ game plan and we gave them what they wanted for our team.”
Cherry Nunag also played solid with 12 points including three blocks. Des Cheng added 10 while Deanna Wong dished out 14 excellent sets to keep Foton winless in two games.
“I’m happy with the result so far. We’re slowly learning to win because that’s what we want to happen step by step,” Alinsunurin said.
Choco Mucho will take a 10-day break before facing F2 Logistics on July 11 at Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Meanwhile, PLDT had enough reserve firepower to make up for the absences of key players as the High Speed Hitters turned back the Chargers, 25-15, 25-19, 25-22, in an earlier game to notch their first victory in the conference despite missing standouts Mika Reyes and Mean Mendrez due to injuries.
National team member Dell Palomata took on the role leading the charge for PLDT, finishing with 14 points built on 10 attacks, three blocks and an ace.
“I’m very proud of Dell because her maturity has improved since January. Her exposure in the SEA Games helped her so we’re very happy for her. That’s what we expect from her and we want her to keep on improving,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort in Filipino.