ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles celebrate after beating Choco Mucho Flying TItans in the PVL on Tour Knockout round. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Despite falling to a two-set deficit, ZUS Coffee never wavered and turned to Chinnie Arroyo and Jov Gonzaga to overcome Choco Mucho, 22-25, 20-25, 25-16, 25-17, 15-10, and complete PVL on Tour quarterfinal cast on Tuesday night at Philsports Arena.
Arroyo erupted for 21 points, hammering 20 kills, while Gonzaga completed the Thunderbelles’ comeback by scoring five of her 16 points in the fifth set.
LIVE: PVL on Tour KO round – Petro Gazz vs Akari, ZUS vs Choco Mucho
The veteran opposite spiker gave the Thunderbelles an 11-6 start in the fifth before back-to-back blocks from Fiola Ceballos and AC Miner sent them to the match point, 14-7. The Flying Titans scored three straight points, but Gonzaga drilled the game-winning hit to prevail in the two-hour game.
Gonzaga had 13 kills and seven digs for ZUS Coffee’s fourth win in five five-setters this preseason, spoiling Isa Molde’s career-high 27 points for Choco Mucho.
Jov Gonzaga and Chinnie Arroyo eager to lead ZUS Coffee in the quarterfinals#PVLonTour #PVL2025 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/fDdM2Ov8mN
— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) August 5, 2025
“We’re super grateful, first of all, to the management, who never doubted us. They just kept telling us to give our best and let God handle the rest, so everything really felt worth it,” said Gonzaga in Filipino.
ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles’ Jovelyn Gonzaga rises for a hit during a PVL on Tour game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
”Huge credit to the coaching staff for how they managed us on the court. I’m really thankful because this is already my second conference here and we’ve already made two quarterfinal appearances, so it shows that all our hard work in training is paying off. I’m also very grateful for the relationship we have as a team. I think our performance reflects how solid we are. Both on and off the court.”
READ: PVL on Tour: ZUS Coffee grabs first win over Creamline
ZUS Coffee faces another knockout game against the unbeaten PLDT on Thursday at the same venue in Pasig City.
Clo Mondoñedo tossed 22 excellent sets. AC Miner had 14 points including four blocks, while Kate Santiago and Fiola Ceballos added 10 points each with the latter nailing four blocks.
“I’m always proud when I see improvement. It’s something that makes us happy and proud, and hopefully, it continues,” said ZUS Coffee Jerry Yee in Filipino. “We basically have more talent, but we’re not yet a complete team. We have big names, I have more options for subs, we’re about eight or nine players deep. But it’s still not enough. We’re not consistent yet. We’re not a solid team yet. We’re trying, though.”
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Choco Mucho lost five straight games to end the preseason despite Molde’s 23 kills, three blocks, and an ace on top of 14 excellent receptions.
Royse Tubino had 17 points. Ayesha Juegos had 11 points and 10 digs, while Cherry Nunag added 10.
