CHOCO Mucho’s offseason facelift was well worth the wait.
The Flying Titans’ Rondina-Laure era got off to a fiery start, pinning Akari in a 25-17, 25-23, 25-20 victory to open the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Playtime Filoil Centre.
Just when Akari looked ready to wrest momentum in the second set, Sisi Rondina flipped the script in emphatic fashion.
Playing her first PVL game in 295 days, the former league MVP led a stunning turnaround, dragging Choco Mucho out of an 11–17 hole and into a 25–23 steal that all but broke the Chargers’ resistance.
Rondina uncorked a pair of vintage power kills before sealing that frame with a clutch service ace.
Kat Tolentino and Lorraine Pecaña chipped in with timely kill blocks as the Flying Titans tightened their grip on the match and never looked back.
Eya Laure also put a long and turbulent chapter behind her after a 630-day layoff brought about by a drawn-out contract dispute.
The Alas Pilipinas spiker marked her long-awaited comeback with a win, signaling that the frustrations of the past are now behind her.
“Sa naging performance ng players ko, [nalagpasan] ‘yung expectations ko at mas nabilib pa ko sa mga nagagawa na nila,” said Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin.
Rondina lived up to that praise, finishing with a game-high 16 points in a well-rounded return that set the tone for the Flying Titans’ new era.
Laure, meanwhile, showed flashes of her old self in her long-awaited comeback, tallying 11 points to go with nine receptions and five digs in a steady two-way showing.
Middle blocker Lorraine Pecaña chipped in five markers, while Kat Tolentino and match-winner Dindin Santiago-Manabat added four apiece to round out a balanced Choco Mucho attack that proved too much to handle.
Yet to charge on
Akari struggled to find consistent scoring rhythm against a tightened Flying Titans defense in the straight-sets setback.
Middle blocker Fifi Sharma carried much of the offensive load for the Chargers, pacing the team with 10 points built on seven attacks, two service aces and a block.
Fellow net defender Ced Domingo provided support with nine markers.
The Chargers’ primary wing options, however, found it tough to break through, with Ivy Lacsina, Eli Soyud and Grethcel Soltones limited to six points each as Akari continues to search for cohesion and firepower early in the conference.
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