Choco Mucho Bows Out With Heart, Grit, and a Statement Win

on
by Cristian Andal

The Choco Mucho Flying Titans during their game against the Akari Chargers.
The Choco Mucho Flying Titans during their game against the Akari Chargers. Photo: PVL Images.

Eliminated or not, Choco Mucho wasn’t about to end its season quietly.

The Flying Titans capped their PVL Reinforced Conference campaign with a gutsy 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21 win over Akari on Tuesday at the Ynares Center in Montalban. It was a victory that won’t change the standings, but certainly reshaped the narrative of how this squad chose to exit: fighting, unified, and unafraid.

From the opening rally, Choco Mucho played as if there were still stakes on the line. No sagging shoulders, no going-through-the-motions. Instead, they matched Akari’s urgency point for point, turning what should’ve been an easy tune-up for the Chargers into a full-on war.

Leading the charge was veteran hitter Royse Tubino, who turned back the clock with a performance straight out of a highlight reel. Given a rare starting spot, she erupted for 20 points and completed an impressive triple-double with 11 digs and 10 receptions, numbers that speak to her work rate, her timing, and, most importantly, her refusal to let the match slip.

Choco Mucho's Royse Tubino
Choco Mucho's Royse Tubino. Photo: PVL Images.

Tubino credited coach Dante Alinsunurin’s message of “nothing to lose” for freeing up the team. And it showed: the Flying Titans played loose but disciplined, covering for each other, adjusting quickly, and keeping their composure in tight stretches of the last two sets.

Import Marlee Smith also delivered a memorable encore, hammering the match-clincher, a rocket of a hit that summed up her stint with the franchise. She finished with 18 points, expressing her gratitude to fans and offering a warm goodbye to Filipino food, too.

Choco Mucho ends the conference at 3-5, possibly finishing ninth depending on Chery Tiggo’s last game. But beyond the numbers, this final outing reminded everyone of what the Titans can bring when they play with belief and urgency.

For Akari, the loss stung. Instead of strengthening their quarterfinal seeding, the Chargers slid down to provisional No. 7 with a 4-4 record, now forced to wait on other results. Import Annie Michem continued her scoring spree with 30 points, Eli Soyud added 17, while Fifi Sharma and Celine Domingo contributed seven each. But 28 unforced errors proved too much to overcome.

Quarterfinalists Akari Chargers.
Quarterfinalists Akari Chargers. Photo: PVL Images.

Choco Mucho barely trailed in attacks and aces, edged Akari in blocks, and more importantly, made the Chargers pay for every mistake.

In a season that didn’t go the way they hoped, the Flying Titans still made sure their last act meant something: pride over standings, character over circumstance. And if this gritty finish is any indication, Choco Mucho’s next chapter might just be worth watching.