MANILA, Philippines — ZUS Coffee continued to showcase the promise of its retooled roster, drawing strong contributions from both veterans and newcomers as it swept an undermanned Choco Mucho side, 25-14, 25-20, 25-23, to grab the early solo lead in the PVL On Tour on Saturday at the Batangas City Sports Center.
Coming off a four-set victory over Akari in Wednesday’s tournament opener in Ilagan, Isabela, the Thunderbelles looked even sharper in their second outing, displaying improved chemistry, balanced scoring and relentless defense to improve to 2-0 in the six-week preseason tournament.
Coach Jerry Yee’s squad dictated the tempo from the opening set, making full use of its depth as nearly every player who saw action made an impact. ZUS Coffee also imposed its will at the net, relying on its blocking and consistency to control the match from start to finish.
“I don’t think the teams are complete yet, but for us, we’re trying to work on our rotations. We have a lot of new players and new additions, so we’d like to practice and give them playing time,” said Yee.
No Thunderbelle reached double figures, underscoring the team’s balanced attack as nine players scored at least five points. Chinnie Arroyo led the way with nine points, while veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga and rookie Alyanna Ong chipped in eight markers each.
After scoring 14 points against Akari, Sam Nolasco was held to five, but the Thunderbelles hardly skipped a beat. Rachel Anne Daquis and Jolina dela Cruz added six points apiece, while Kate Santiao, Riza Nogales and AC Miner also finished with five markers each.
Although Choco Mucho held a slim 40-38 advantage in attacks, ZUS Coffee dominated at the net with a commanding 17-4 edge in blocks.
The Thunderbelles also capitalized on the Flying Titans’ miscues, scoring 18 points off unforced errors while giving up just 12, proving their disciplined execution and balanced offense more than made up for the slight deficit in attack points.
Caitlyn Viray paced Choco Mucho with 12 points, while Des Cheng added 10. However, the Flying Titans struggled to sustain their offense without key players Eya Laure, Sisi Rondina and Kat Tolentino, falling to their first loss of the preseason tournament.
