The Choco Mucho Flying Titans-Philippines had a winning start in the VTV Cup following a 25-17, 25-23, 19-25, 25-22 victory over Japan’s Kansai University on Saturday afternoon at the Lao Cai Gymnasium in Vietnam.
Cherry Ann Rondina, Caitlin Viray, and Madeleine Madayag provided the spark for the Flying Titans as they pulled off a surprising victory against the Japan-based volleyball team.
Holding a slim 10-8 lead in the opening set, the Flying Titans pulled to a 17-11 lead behind Viray, Desiree Cheng, Cherry Nunag, and Deanna Wong before comfortably winning the set at 25-17.
In the second set, Kansai University took a 13-9 lead, which Choco Mucho promptly equalized at 13-all before pulling ahead to secure a 2-0 set advantage through Kat Tolentino’s impressive plays.
The Flying Titans, however, stumbled in the third set but bounced back in the fourth frame with a 16-10 advantage. The Japan squad rallied to within 22-23, but back-to-back hits by Viray and Madayag sealed the win for the Philippine representatives.
The Dante Alinsunurin-led Choco Mucho hopes to score a follow-up victory when they face the Vietnam 1 squad on Sunday evening.
