Choco Mucho stuns Creamline in five-set thriller

Choco Mucho pulled off a thrilling five-set escape over sister team defending champion Creamline, 23-25, 25-13, 25-23, 22-25, 15-13, to climb to solo fourth in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Season 10 All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series on Thursday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Eya Laure played through back pain and delivered in crunch time as the Flying Titans improved to a 4-3 win-loss record with a crucial victory that kept them in the thick of the tight race for the remaining three semifinals slots.

Laure, who played in the first set before sitting out the next three, scored five of her eight points in the deciding frame, including a crosscourt hit to punctuate a 5-0 Choco Mucho run for match point, 14-11.

The Cool Smashers saved two match points before Caitlyn Viray finished off Creamline with a down-the-line kill for the Flying Titans’ second win in 21 head-to-head matches.

Sisi Rondina-Rosales finished with 20 points on 18 attacks, one ace and one kill block to lead Choco Mucho. Viray had 11 markers from nine kills and two kill blocks and Jewel Encarnacion held the fort while Laure’s on the bench with an impressive 10-point, nine-excellent reception outing for the Flying Titans.

“It’s a total team effort by the team especially in the fifth set. They never gave up even when we’re down by two,” Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin said.

“I told them we can’t win with just one or two people. What’s important is our team effort. So, we’re really thankful for the good result.”

The Flying Titans trailed for majority of the fifth set before Viray sparked the decisive run that Laure finished with flair.

It was Choco Mucho’s first win over Creamline since the round-robin semifinals of the 2024 AFC, which was also decided in five sets.

The Cool Smashers absorbed back-to-back losses to slip to a 4-2 slate tied with Farm Fresh in second to third.

Jema Galanza scored 16 points with 11 digs and 13 excellent receptions in a losing cause. Bernadeth Pons added 14 markers while Tots Carlos and Pang Panaga had 13 and 10 points, respectively.