Choco posts huge win after coach’s resignation

MANILA, Philippines — Choco Mucho set aside the shocking news of coach Oliver Almadro’s sudden resignation as it repulsed United Auctioneers Army, 26-24, 25-10, 25-17, yesterday to resuscitate its campaign in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Less than a day after Almadro stepped down, the Flying Titans appeared a little shaken at first and had to battle back against the stubborn Lady Troopers in snatching the opening set.

But once Choco Mucho found the groove, there was nothing Army could do as the former took the next two sets and seized their third win in as many losses to stay in the semis hunt.

But the Flying Titans still need to sweep their last two outings against Creamline on Nov. 17 at the MOA Arena and Cignal on Nov. 22 at the PhilSports Arena.

The Flying Titans heeded the call of Choco Mucho interim coach Edjet Mabbayad to believe in themselves.

“We explained to them to set aside what happened. We just focused on the players regaining their confidence,” said Mabbayad, also a champion coach, having won a collegiate conference crown.

In what could be a sneak preview to the finals, F2 Logistics clawed back from two sets down and brought down Creamline, 22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19, 15-11, to keep its semis hopes alive with a 3-2 card.

The Cool Smashers fell to their first defeat after five wins.

Odina Aliyeva fired a match-high 20 points while Kat Tolentino scattered 14 hits, half of which in that big second-set offensive when Choco Mucho put the game out of reach.

Army dropped to 0-6.

“Malaking bagay ito (win), naibalik yung kumpiyansa ng mga bata,” said Mabbayad, now at the helm following the resignation of Almadro, who will now focus on the Ateneo women’s volleyball team.

“Medyo hindi maganda ang nangyari sa amin sa past two games ng team,” added Mabbayad, referring to Choco Mucho’s back-to-back defeats, including a five-set loss to the Akari Chargers. “Pero nag-focus lang lahat sa laro. There were no major changes in the training. We just told them to trust each other.”