CHOCO Mucho roughly had two to three hours to devise a workaround upon learning about the PVL-PNVF impasse last Tuesday in Montalban, Rizal.
Still, it won in straight sets against a fellow all-Filipino Capital1 side, 33-31, 26-24, 25-23.
But as the only team to go through that ordeal twice, head coach Dante Alinsunurin admitted how it was much trickier to face that problem the second time around.
Alinsunurin bared that Choco Mucho was notified roughly half an hour before warming up for their eventual 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, 27-25 win over Cignal on Monday.
READ: All-Filipino Choco Mucho stuns reinforced Cignal in four sets
“Sobrang late na talaga. Siguro mga 30 minutes na lang, magwa-warmup na kami nu’ng nalaman namin na may mga kailangan pa siyang ayusin sa papers niya kaya hindi siya nakalaro,” the Flying Titans mentor said.
The late development did not evoke any shock reaction whatsoever from Alinsunurin and the rest of the team, having been used to losing one too many players in conferences past.
“Kung anuman ‘yung nagiging sitwasyon namin every game or every conference, talagang nilalabanan namin. Sinasanay namin ‘yung sarili namin na laging may mga challenges at sinasalang kami sa ganitong mga sitwasyon,” he said.
“Laking bagay lang kasi ngayon na may mga tao kami na pwede naming ipalit-palit unlike before na kapag may mga challenges kami, sobrang hirap kami makakuha ng panalo.
“Ngayon, nakikita namin na kapag may problema na, hindi madali pero tinatrabaho namin na team kami at ipapanalo namin ‘yung games.”
With American opposite hitter Marlee Smith set to take the court on Thursday against PLDT after a three-game delay, expect nothing less than an all-out ‘beast mode’ attack from the Flying Titans against the two-time champions.
“More fire every time. I’m ready to come out the gates, I’m ready to be in beast mode and I’m ready to give it my all. I’ve trained hard for it and I’m ready to work for the championship,” Smith told SPIN.ph.
Asked on how Choco Mucho will switch it up with an import onboard, it was a simple and forthright answer from the veteran coach.
“Mas magiging maganda yung opensa namin,” he said.
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