MANILA — Choco Mucho Flying Titans leaned on a balanced offensive attack led by Cherry Rondina to close out their preliminary round campaign with a four-set victory over ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, 27-25, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Thursday at the Playtime FilOil Centre in San Juan.
The win allowed the Flying Titans to finish with a 4-5 record, good for seventh place, as they head into the play-in phase carrying crucial momentum in their bid to stay in contention.
Choco Mucho weathered a tight opening set and dropped the second frame before asserting control in the latter half of the match. The Flying Titans dominated the third set and sustained their rhythm in the fourth, where they built an early lead and dictated the tempo the rest of the way.
A strong start in the fourth set proved decisive, as the Flying Titans combined steady attacks with key defensive stops to stretch their advantage to double digits midway through the frame.
ZUS Coffee threatened to extend the match after saving multiple match points, but Choco Mucho kept its composure, with Eya Laure delivering the finishing blow via a well-placed off-speed hit.
“Nag-usap lang kami and tried to find solutions to score and win the game,” said Flying Titans setter Deanna Wong, who earned Best Player of the Game honors after tallying 14 excellent sets.
Rondina spearheaded the Flying Titans with 18 points, while Kat Tolentino added 12 markers. Lorraine Pecaña chipped in 11, with Des Cheng and Maddie Madayag contributing 10 points each in a well-distributed scoring effort.
On the other side, the Thunderbelles wrapped up their campaign at 10th place with a 1-8 record. Jovelyn Gonzaga led ZUS Coffee with 13 points, followed by Thea Gagate with 12, while Riza Nogales and Chinnie Arroyo added nine and eight points, respectively.
In another match, the Nxled Chameleons staged a comeback to defeat the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 21-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-15.
MarJana Phillips led Nxled with an all-around performance of 16 points built on 11 attacks, three aces, and two blocks, along with two excellent digs to claim Player of the Game honors./PN
