Maddie Madayag says Choco Mucho has PVL on notice after finals run

HIGHLIGHTS: PVL Finals Game 2 Creamline vs Choco Mucho

Maddie Madayag, left, with Choco Mucho teammates Deanna Wong, center, and Kat Tolentino during Game 2 of the PVL All-Filipino Conference Finals against Creamline.–PVL PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Choco Mucho may have fallen short in its first-ever Premier Volleyball League appearance in the championship round, but Maddie Madayag believes their breakthrough finals against Creamline only shows that the best is yet to come for the Flying Titans.

The Flying Titans, led by Sisi Rondina’s finals record 33 points in Game 2, pushed the Cool Smashers to their limits but only to absorb a heartbreaking 25-22, 20-25, 27-29, 26-24, 12-15 loss in front of a record-breaking 24,459 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.

“We’re just very grateful that at least everything is coming together and you could see Choco Mucho is really playing different than before. The way we played our final game this year is a statement to all the teams that we’re no pushover and I guess we’re one of the teams to beat coming into the next conference,”said Madayag, who had another solid finals performance with 16 points.

The star middle blocker, who had a resurgence this conference coming back from an ACL injury she sustained two years ago, marveled at the team’s progress from four straight seventh-place finishes in the past conferences to making their first Finals in the second All-Filpino Conference.

Choco Mucho Flying Titans.–PVL PHOTO

“We played really good and we showed how hard we fought. We fell short but at least we know where we are now. We still have a lot to work on but we’ve also come a long way compared to how we started this year,” said Madayag.

The former Ateneo star credited the rise of the Flying Titans to coach Dante Alinsunurin, who took charge this season and led Choco Mucho to a lot of achievements in the season-ending tournament.

“We’re very thankful to our coaches. They showed so much faith in us and patience even though our core players were stubborn. Coach Dante never lost trust. They didn’t give up on us,” she said. “The bond between the players and coaches also grew stronger and it was easier for us to communicate any concerns. We really like the relationship of the entire team.”

Before the conference, Choco Mucho earned its first podium finish in franchise history after earning a bronze in the VTV Cup in Vietnam.

The Flying Titans dropped their first game against the Cool Smashers but won 10 straight games despite losing Des Cheng due to an ACL injury early in the elimination round to finish second with a 10-1 card. They collapsed in five sets to start the semifinal series with Cignal but fought back and won two consecutive games to book their first PVL Finals.

Choco Mucho also had two individual awardees with Rondina emerging as the MVP and Thang Ponce winning the Best Libero.

It was still a great run for Choco Mucho but Madayag stressed that “it doesn’t stop here” as they are hungry to reach greater heights next PVL season.