Games Tuesday:
(Philsports Arena)
1:30 p.m. --- Galeries Tower vs Cignal
4 p.m. --- Capital1 vs Creamline
6:30 p.m. --- Petro Gazz vs Chery Tiggo
Choco Mucho charged back from two sets down in a 20-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22, 15-9 reversal of ZUS Coffee in the resumption of the 2024-2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference Saturday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
Setter Deanna Wong announced her return after a five-month layoff due to nagging knee issues with an inspired game capped by the game-winning drop shot for the Flying Titans’ second straight victory for a 4-3 win-loss record.
Wong dished out 10 excellent sets and scored seven points off the bench in her first outing since August last year in the Reinforced Conference.
“I was a bit nervous. But I just trusted whatever role coach gave me. I just took it easy at first. I think also it’s because we’ve been together for a long time it wasn’t that hard to adjust during training,” Wong said.
Sisi Rondina led all scorers with 25 points, 24 coming off attacks, and nine excellent receptions for Choco Mucho. Dindin Santiago-Manabat scored 19 including three crucial points in the closing stretch of the fourth set that forced a decider.
Isa Molde got 13 points and rookie Lorraine Pecana contributed 11 for the Flying Titans, who pulled off a second straight five-setter escape.
Choco Mucho flirted with disaster in the fourth frame after allowing the Thunderbelles to dismantle a seven-point deficit and tie the frame at 21 after a scorching 6-0 run.
Manabat answered with three straight points in a 4-1 closing barrage to force a decider.
The Flying Titans raced to a 9-1 lead in the fifth frame on their way to victory.
Chai Trongcoso had 17 points, Gayle Pascual scored 15 while top overall Draft pick Thea Gagate and Michelle Gamit chipped in 14 and 13 points, respectively, for ZUS Coffee, which slipped to 2-4 card after back-to-back losses.
Meanwhile, Jolina dela Cruz debuted with a bang in a much-anticipated comeback after fueling Farm Fresh to a dominating 25-22, 26-24, 25-21 win over listless Nxled in the first game.
Dela Cruz showed no rust even after more than a year of absence due to a right knee injury as the prized winger fired a game-high 20 points in the Foxies’ 91-minute masterclass for an even 3-3 record.
The De La Salle University product smashed 18 attacks and landed a pair of aces as a starter in all three frames.
“It feels good to be back and I miss the adrenaline rush from the pressure of playing. It’s a privilege that coach Boc (Benson Bocboc) allowed Lorene (Toring) and me to play as starters,” said Dela Cruz, who also contributed on the defensive end with five digs and five excellent receptions.
It was a bittersweet outing for Dela Cruz as she returned at the same venue where she tore her anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the disbanded F2 Logistics in the 2023 AFC.
“When I came in, I was praying because it’s here at Philsports where I got injured. Coach Boc was helping me relax when I was defending because he knew I was injured here. But I eventually overcame my fear,” Dela Cruz said.
Trisha Tubu added 14 points while Alyssa Bertolano had eight points for Farm Fresh. Toring also played her first game in a Foxies uniform after recovering from a knee injury and submitted three points.
Farm Fresh outgunned the Chameleons’ 54-34 on kills although Nxled outscored the Foxies on kill blocks, 10-2.
Nxled squandered a chance to tie the match after crumbling in the closing stretch of the second frame as Dela Cruz put Farm Fresh up, 25-24. The Chameleons threw away the set with a costly error.
Smelling blood, the Foxies controlled the third frame after unleashing a 4-1 rally to get back from a 9-10 deficit before cruising into victory.