At the City of Passi Arena in Iloilo on Saturday night, Choco Mucho demonstrated its playoff readiness by defeating Chery Tiggo in straight sets, 25-18, 25-23, 26-24. Its incredible second-set comeback demonstrated its resilience and strength.

The victory represented Choco Mucho’s eighth win against three defeats, placing them in a tie with the Cignal HD Spikers and the PLDT High Speed Hitters. But with a better overall point total, Cignal earned the No. 3 slot, and PLDT had to settle for No. 4, dropping the Flying Titans to fifth place.

Chery Tiggo, on the other hand, tied with Farm Fresh and Akari with a 5-6 record. But in the tiebreak, the Foxies and Chargers defeated them, earning the No. 6 and No. 7 seeds, respectively.

As a result, Choco Mucho and Chery Tiggo will face off again in a vital one-game qualifying round. In other games, Galeries Tower will face No. 3 Cignal, and ZUS Coffee will face No. 4 PLDT.

Starting Thursday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig, the Flying Titans will play the Crossovers again in the knockout stage to see if momentum can overcome the unpredictable nature of do-or-die volleyball.

No. 1 Creamline will face No. 12 Nxled at the top of the bracket, and No. 2 Petro Gazz will face Capital1. Rounding out the qualifying round, No. 6 Farm Fresh and No. 7 Akari will square off for a spot in the next phase.

The Choco Mucho team won in one hour and thirty-six minutes, led by Sisi Rondina with twenty points, followed by Isa Molde with fifteen, Dindin Manabat with eight, and Mars Alba, Royse Tubino, and Cherry Nunag with ten points apiece.

In Filipino, Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin stated, “I told my players that no matter what, we need to win this game because it will be a huge help for us in the next round.”

They gave a good response in the opening set, but in the following two sets, they slackened off a little. Nevertheless, we prevailed, and I sincerely appreciate their effort,” he continued. “The next round will benefit greatly from this.”

Rondina said in Filipino, “I’m really happy that even when we had moments of relaxation, we were able to bounce back quickly, but that’s something we need to work on – making sure we don’t become complacent.” Rondina acknowledged that their effort remained consistent but underlined the need for increased focus.

With nine points, Ara Galang led Chery Tiggo, followed by Cess Robles with eight, Pauline Gaston with seven, and Seth Rodriguez and Alina Bicar with three each.

Even though they were in control the entire time, the Flying Titans’ incredible comeback in the second frame was what really showed how resilient they were.

Rondina ignited the rally with a crosscourt missile and a through-the-block hit, and the Flying Titans, trailing 19–22 following a pivotal block on Tubino, turned the tide with a sensational 6–1 finishing kick.

The set was deadlocked at 22 after Nunag’s clutch kill block on Gaston. Alba’s serve ace and another Rondina stroke put them ahead, leaving the Crossovers reeling.

Shaya Adorador’s attempt to equalize ended tragically as her attack found the net, allowing Choco Mucho to steal the set and take a comfortable 2-0 lead. Robles made a late point to stop the skid, but Chery Tiggo was unable to restore momentum.

As Chery Tiggo resisted giving up by defending against numerous match points and forcing an extension, the drama and tension of the second set continued into the third set, but the Flying Titans prevailed when it counted most.

Manabat made amends for an earlier error and sealed the victory with a decisive shot, but Rondina came through again, unleashing a vital kill to push Choco Mucho to match point.

An incredible evening at the City of Passi Arena was capped off by the thrilling conclusion, which threw the mostly Choco Mucho-supporting audience into a frenzy.

Despite an uneven play that gave the Crossovers 28 free points, Choco Mucho outscored Chery Tiggo in spikes, 45-26, as the Flying Titans scored 22 points off of Tiggo’s errors.