Choco Mucho vented its frustration from an opening game loss by hammering out a dominant 25-18, 25-22, 27-29, 25-19 victory over Akari in Game 2 of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle for bronze on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Flying Titans are going to be declared winners of third place honors in the event Petro Gazz beats Creamline later Thursday in Game 2 of their race-to-two title showdown as they took care of business in four sets.

In the series opener, Akari carved out a 24-26, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11 last Tuesday also at the Big Dome.

But if Creamline stays alive, the battle for third will be played on Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Flying Titans snapped a four-game losing skid — a slump that began in the semifinals and extended to Game 1 of this best-of-three series — with a much-needed win that kept their podium hopes alive.

Powered by a 26-point explosion from Sisi Rondina, Choco Mucho finally found its rhythm.

Rondina, named Player of the Game, delivered 25 attacks and a block in a high-octane performance that kept Choco Mucho in control for most of the match.

“Coach told us in the dugout to just stick to the system and focus on our individual roles,” Rondina shared.

“We reminded ourselves to keep going no matter what. As long as the ball is in play, we don’t stop until it’s 25. That was our mindset.”

She got solid support from Royse Tubino, who added 17 points, while Isa Molde and Cherry Nunag chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Choco Mucho took the first two sets with composed execution and an early scoring surge that kept Akari at bay. The Flying Titans led by as many as eight in the second frame before the Chargers rallied to within one, 20-21, behind Grethcel Soltones’ firepower and a string of Choco Mucho errors.

But back-to-back hits from Nunag and Tubino gave Choco Mucho the set point, before Nunag drilled in a powerful attack to seal the 2-0 advantage.

Akari, however, refused to fold easily.

The third set was a tense seesaw battle, with both teams tied at 20-all. Soltones handed Akari the upper hand at 24-23 with a crucial kill, but Choco Mucho answered with a quick strike from Maika Ortiz and an off-the-block kill from Rondina.

In a back-and-forth deuce, Ivy Lacsina stepped up and fired back-to-back points to secure the set for Akari, 29-27.

But Choco Mucho regained momentum in the fourth. Tubino strung together two points to give her team a commanding 21-14 lead. Akari tried to stay alive with a late spark from Stephanie Bustrillo, who scored three straight, trimming the deficit to 19-23.

That was the closest they could get as Rondina capped the match with two consecutive kills to seal the win.

Head coach Dante Alinsunurin heaved a sigh of relief after finally ending their slump.

“At last! We were really down after our semifinals performance,” he said.

“We know we have a chance, and I hope this win carries over to Game 3.”

Eli Soyud led Akari with 16 points built on 12 attacks and four blocks. Lacsina and Soltones backed her up with 15 points apiece in a losing effort.