Choco Mucho Flying Titans head coach Dante Alinsunurin admitted that the Creamline Cool Smashers were superior in their Thursday encounter during the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Choco Mucho simply could not handle sister team and defending champion Creamline on Thursday evening.
The Flying Titans had a rare off night, falling at the hands of the Cool Smashers in straight sets, 17-25, 22-25, 19-25, in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
After such a shocking defeat, Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin conceded that Creamline had outperformed them in both preparation and execution.
“Sa nangyari sa game, mahirap talagang talunin 'yung Creamline sa ganung sitwasyon. Lamang talaga sa kanila ‘yung strength nila, then kami kung anong gusto naming gawin sa loob ng court talagang ‘di namin magawa,” Alinsunurin said.
“Kung ano ‘man 'yung pwede naming i-adjust, talagang huli pa rin kami ng Creamline. Siyempre talagang naghanda sila.”
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The Flying Titans struggled to keep up with the Cool Smashers, who feasted above the net with a 45-32 attack differential and a 14-5 block disparity.
It also did not help Choco Mucho’s cause that Sisi Rondina was the only one who got on a groove with 17 points and eight receptions.
No other Flying Titan breached double figures in scoring, as Isa Molde and Royse Tubino finished with nine and seven markers, respectively.
Kat Tolentino, who is still recuperating from an auditory condition, sat out of the marquee clash as well.
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“Siguro mas kailangan pa naming mag-improve pa in terms of lahat ng skills eh. Siguro may factor na rin ‘yung hindi paglaro ni Kat sa 'min. Pero sabi ko nga bago naman mangyari kay Kat, nandiyan naman si Royse Tubino na kung ano ‘man 'yung nagagawa niya, nakukuha namin,” Alinsunurin said.
The seasoned tactician then continued, “Siyempre mas kailangan siguro talaga namin mag-focus pa sa lahat ng ginagawa namin. Talagang ano eh, sila na lang yung team na hindi namin natatalo talaga.”
True enough, Choco Mucho has never won against Creamline in any of their 12 head-to-head matchups since entering the league in 2019.
Their recent encounter could have been the perfect time to end the losing streak, given the vulnerable state of the Cool Smashers as of late. Yet, the Flying Titans failed to capitalize, delivering their most underwhelming performance in what had otherwise been a dominant campaign so far.
Despite the deflating loss, Alinsunurin and his ward remain perched atop the standings with an 8-2 record with 24 points, and are in prime position to secure a semis berth.
With one game left on their elimination round schedule, which will be against the Farm Fresh Foxies on April 23, Tuesday, the Flying Titans refuse to rest on their laurels.
“Mataas pa rin naman 'yung kumpyansa ko na makukuha namin 'yung final four ngayon. Although ngayon talaga medyo masama 'yung naging resulta ng game namin, pero sabi ko nga kailangan lang matuto bago dumating 'yung semis at makapasok kami,” Alinsunurin said.
He then furthered, “Kailangan talaga naming manalo sa next game namin kasi alam ko na sobrang dikit pa eh, ‘di pa kami nakakasigurado na pasok talaga kami. Siguro mas try talaga naming ma-maximize yung next game namin, kung ano 'yung pwede naming gawin siguro mag-viewing kami and kung ano ‘man 'yung pwede naming adjustment na versus Farm Fresh, siguro gawin namin para mas masigurado namin na makuha namin yung last game namin.”