BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL: Choco Mucho aims to keep QF hopes alive

Games today:

(Filoil Flying V Center)

1 p.m. — Creamline vs ZUS Coffee

3 p.m. — PLDT vs Choco Mucho

5 p.m. — Chery Tiggo vs Petro Gazz

Choco Mucho will fight for dear life when it faces PLDT in a high-stake match that could determine its future in the quarterfinals of the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Center in San Juan.

Game time is at 3 p.m. with the Flying Titans looking for a decisive victory that would send them to a tie with idle Farm Fresh with a 3-5 win-loss record with eight points while forging their claim of the No. 8 spot where they will face unbeaten top-seed Akari in the quarterfinals.

A win in three or four sets would grant Choco Mucho three points and guarantee its progress to the knockout phase. Even if the match extends to a fifth set, a victory would still earn them two points, potentially securing the quarterfinal slot.

However, should PLDT win in five sets, Choco Mucho would only receive one point, leading to a tie with Farm Fresh.

In that case, the set ratio will be used to determine the final quarterfinalist in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

If PLDT wins in three or four sets, Farm Fresh will automatically secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

But Choco Mucho is determined to secure at least two points, if not three, despite facing a PLDT team that is also highly motivated with import Elena Samoilenko at the helm along with locals Erika Santos, Mika Reyes, Majoy Baron, Kiesha Bedonia and Fiola Ceballos.

Making the scenario more challenging for the Flying Titans is the fact that their head coach in Dante Alinsunurin will not be around due to his commitment with Alas Pilipinas men’s, which is in Indonesia for the second leg of the 2024 Men’s Southeast Asia V. League.

With that, assistant coach Edjet Mabbayad will be calling the shots for the squad that is already missing the services of Sisi Rondina and Cherry Nunag, who are still with Alas Pilipinas, and injured Kat Tolentino, Des Cheng and Aduke Ogunsanya.

With that, Greek import Zoi Faki has to work doubly hard while locals like Dindin Manabat, Royse Tubino, Isa Molde, Maddie Madayag, Maika Ortiz, Mars Alba and Deanna Wong have to step up to keep their title hopes alive.

Meanwhile, with a joint third-place standing alongside Creamline and Chery Tiggo, PLDT is vying for the No. 3 seed to potentially face No. 6 Capital1 in the quarters. This makes their match, along with the 1 p.m. clash between Creamline and ZUS Coffee and the 5 p.m. encounter between Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz, crucial for positioning.