Choco Mucho rolls 7 in a row in close Chery sweep; Petro drops Capital1 for 10th straight win
MANILA, Philippines – Choco Mucho fended off a gutsy challenge by Chery Tiggo to reach the 2025 PVL All-Filipino quarterfinals off a close 25-22, 25-22, 25-23 sweep at the PhilSports Arena on Saturday, March 1.
With the win, the fifth-seeded Flying Titans now await the winner of the PLDT-ZUS Coffee knockout qualifer to lock in their quarterfinals series.
Former MVP Sisi Rondina answered her team’s call, as always, with a game-high 18 points off 16 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace, while Mars Alba tossed 13 excellent sets as young middle blocker Lorraine Pecaña also shone with 6 points off 3 attacks and a game-high 3 blocks.
“I’m thankful [for] my players’ total team effort,” head coach Dante Alinsunurin said in Filipino. “Not only one or two players were firing up the offense on our side, and our floor defense was a big thing as well.”
“The more our floor defense works, the more good things happen for our players.”
Down 21-16 in the third set after a pair of close shaves in the first two frames, Choco Mucho looked headed for an extended match with rallying Chery Tiggo before an offensive surge by Rondina and Royse Tubino somehow put the two squads at even, 22-all, off a 6-1 run.
Role player Regine Arocha then poured fuel to the fire with a lucky ace that snagged the net on the way down the Crossovers’ side as the Flying Titans seized a 23-22 advantage to cap the 7-1 spurt.
Seth Rodriguez finally calmed things down with a block on Rondina, 23-all, but this only served to fire up the former UST star, who bombed down the next two kills to officially punch Choco Mucho’s quarterfinals ticket alongside Creamline, Petro Gazz, and surprise entry Galeries Tower.
Veteran hitter Ara Galang paced the sorry loss with a game-high-tying 18 points as Chery Tiggo now slots itself in the play-in tournament amid other stragglers Nxled, Capital1, and contender Cignal.
Meanwhile, the Petro Gazz Angels roared with a full tank anew ahead of a quarterfinals berth, fending off a gutsy stand by the Capital1 Solar Spikers, 25-19, 25-23, 25-21, for their 10th straight win.
Second-seeded Petro Gazz now awaits the top-ranked play-in team of Pool A, currently comprised of Cignal, Capital1, and the loser of the Farm Fresh-Akari qualifying round tussle.
Reigning All-Filipino MVP Brooke Van Sickle and two-time former MVP Myla Pablo once again led the winning charge with 19 and 17 points, respectively, as star middle blocker MJ Phillips scored 12 with a game-high 5 of the team’s 9 blocks.
Leila Cruz paced the close loss with 16 points off 15 attacks and 1 block, while captain Jorelle Singh added 10 points. – Rappler.com