Choco Mucho needed extra period to overcome Army, 23-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-27, 15-11, and snap a two-game losing skid in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference yesterday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Kat Tolentino delivered in the crucial stretch as she hit back-to-back kills to quell the Lady Troopers’ rally and help the Flying Titans claim their second win in four matches.
Tolentino finished with 20 points while Regine Arocha stepped up in the absence of Des Cheng with her 13 points built on 12 attacks, a block, and eight receptions.
“Regine had a good performance even if I replaced her in the original first six. She deserves to be the player of the game because you can see that she’s really determined during training,” Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin, referring to Arocha, a former National Collegiate Athletic Association Finals Most Valuable Player.
Isa Molde added fire power with 19 points off 18 attacks while Maddie Madayag rounded out the four Flying Titans in double figure with 10 markers.
With the loss, the Lady Troopers remained slumping and stretched their losing streak to 17 games dating back to the 2022 PVL Invitational Conference eliminations.
The Lady Troopers, who dug deep in the fourth set and rallied from a 17-21 deficit to force a decider, fell short of an upset as they were weighed down by 30 unforced errors.
Jeanette Villareal fired 19 points while Honey Royse Tubino tallied 17 for Army, which drew 10 points from Ivy Perez and 12 apiece from Nene Bautista and Luth Malaluan.
