A somber Choco Mucho stayed put at the Smart Araneta Coliseum for about an hour after losing its PVL battle for third series opener in five sets, 24-26, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11.
Some of the Flying Titans’ players, coaches and staff members were still lurking around the halls of the Big Dome moments before Game One of the Creamline-Petro Gazz finals went underway.
READ: Akari denies Choco Mucho in five sets to close in on PVL bronze
A few players were emotional, quiet and visibly stunned by the outcome of the match.
From holding a two sets to none lead, an imminent win slipped away from the reigning All-Filipino Conference silver medalists.
It was a gut-wrenching deja vu moment for Choco Mucho as Akari, again, took them down in a closely-contested fifth-set tiebreak.
One of the last players to leave the venue was team captain Sisi Rondina.
As per usual, she was everywhere in the score sheets with 18 points on 14 attacks and four blocks on top of 14 digs.
Unlike some of her teammates, Rondina had a few conversations which appeared to be quite serious and deep ones from afar.
She’d go on to leave the Big Dome with Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin who were in conversation as they walked to the exits.
Since last year’s All-Filipino finals, the undermanned and injury-stricken Flying Titans slid to a franchise-worst ninth-place finish in the Reinforced Conference.
And just as they found their groove this time around with a league-best 10-game win streak before the semis, a four-game playoff skid suddenly struck.
Rondina politely declined to chat in the aftermath of a seething loss but still gave a promising nod, signifying her optimism on the team’s chances of turning its fate around amid a rough patch Choco Mucho knows all too well.
With the coach and captain bearing smiles again, such optimism is one they’ll look to carry in two days’ time to save what was once a promising conference from ending in dismay.
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