![Sisi Rondina tries to guide Choco Mucho past Cignal and into a final showdown against Creamline. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2023/12/Sisi-Rondina-12dec2023-620x608.jpg)
Sisi Rondina tries to guide Choco Mucho past Cignal and into a final showdown against Creamline. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Choco Mucho had a rough start to the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinal against Cignal.
But the Flying Titans have stayed true to their system, at the insistence of coach Dante Alinsunurin.
“After [the Game 1 loss to Cignal] we told ourselves to continue what we were doing,” Alinsunurin said in Filipino, shortly after his team swept the HD Spikers to a knockout match with an emphatic Game 2 win. “We ran into problems in Game 1 [but] I said [the players] that it’s part of the game.”
“Maybe we were tested after winning ten times in a row, maybe we got complacent. Maybe we weren’t hungry then, so I told them that we should work again for the semi-finals for a much better result in Game 2 and 3,” Alinsunurin added.
Choco Mucho got off to a great start in Game 1 with a 2-0 set advantage before the HD Spikers clinched the match and brought home the crucial opening win.
That loss ended a 10-game win streak for the Flying Titans, who at that point had not dropped a game since going against sister team Creamline in their opening day showdown.
The Cool Smashers defeated foe Chery Tiggo in the semi-finals and booked the first berth in the Finals.
The Flying Titans also took a 2-0 lead against the HD Spikers in Game 2, but this time they made sure their opponents trailed as Sisi Rondina and Kat Tolentino took turns delivering dagger after dagger.
“We will still return to the coach’s (Alinsunurin) program and we will trust what he wants to do and his plans,” Rondina said.
Standing in Rondina and the Flying Titans’ way are veterans Ces Molina and Jov Gonzaga, who along with rising star Vanie Gandler will lead Cignal’s bid in Tuesday’s Game 3, which starts at PhilSports Arena at 6 p.m.
“Our motivation was everyone, our hard work throughout the conference. We pushed ourselves and it was a huge task to get everyone to contribute,” Molina said.
“We always remind each other that we can’t win with just one, two or three people. The load will be lighter if everyone helps each other… it all adds up to the total team effort,” Gonzaga added as Cignal looks to push into the finals again after finishing with bronze at the previous Invitational Conference. INQ