Eya Laure takes charge amid Choco Mucho’s PVL meltdowns

READY. Eya Laure accepts Choco Mucho's leadership challenge.

PVL

Choco Mucho star Eya Laure keeps a long-term outlook as the Flying Titans fall prey to a pair of huge collapses to kickstart their 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference title push

AT A GLANCE

• The Choco Mucho Flying Titans, a prominent team in the PVL, have struggled to maintain success in recent tournaments despite a decent early record.
• Key players Eya Laure and Sisi Rondina-Rosales have performed well, but the team has faced challenges, including significant losses and a lack of energy from other members.
• With a focus on teamwork and perseverance, the Titans aim to improve and reclaim their position in the league, despite setbacks and competition from other strong teams.

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MANILA, Philippines – As one of the most popular and strongest teams in the PVL, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans have always been held to a higher standard than others with each passing conference.

Unfortunately, while fans have always turned out for Choco Mucho, the success has not really followed in recent tournaments, including the current All-Filipino tilt.

On paper, an early 3-2 record is decent, but the way the Flying Titans gave up those two losses quickly revealed a somewhat troubling side of the two-time PVL silver medalists.

Last October 22, Farm Fresh dug itself out of a 2-0 match hole to hand Choco Mucho a stunning 20-25, 26-28, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13 reverse sweep, before the Titans rebounded with a four-set victory over winless Galeries Tower just five days later.

However, just as it was on pace to restart a winning streak, Choco Mucho again collapsed, this time in four sets to undefeated Nxled, largely thanks to a massive third-set turnaround that saw the Chameleons bury the Titans with an 11-1 scoring spree to overcome a 22-14 deficit.

In times like these, Choco Mucho star Eya Laure reminds herself that each conference is a constant test of leadership, that true contenders cannot let up nor let themselves be overcome by negative emotions, especially when under pressure from other aspiring contenders.

“I think it’s more in our mindset that we are the ones who have to work harder for one another — that we play for each other, for the team, for the coaches, for [mother company] Rebisco,” Laure said in Filipino after the demoralizing defeat last Tuesday, November 3.

Though Laure and longtime teammate Sisi Rondina-Rosales were excellent as usual with 18 and 14 points apiece, but the rest of the Titans were unable to keep the energy up for their leaders, which was especially telling as Nxled staged a 25-17 fourth-set blowout to seal the win.

For the rest of the conference and the season, it is up to leaders like Laure and Rondina-Rosales to remind the rest of the squad that consistent success is the product of a long process, and that it will all come apart if they stop believing now.

“Whatever the results may be, we will go through this together, and we will learn together in these kinds of games,” Laure continued. “Most of us are just approaching one year with Choco Mucho and are fairly new to the team.”

“We are just here to build whatever we can still give to Choco Mucho in this conference. We’ll do our best, and wherever we end up eventually, we’ll accept that first. We’ll take the wins that we can get, and we’ll work harder from that point.”

Following its back-to-back conference runner-up finishes across 2023 and 2024, Choco Mucho has yet to return to the PVL podium — finishing no higher than fifth place in the five tournaments that have since passed.

Though national team-related absences to the likes of Laure and Rondina and the ever-present scourge of injuries have hampered Choco Mucho’s path to consistent contention, the pieces are certainly in place for a real push for the championship.

While many teams have since consolidated absurd levels of talent from multiple high-profile team disbandments and hiatuses, the Flying Titans are still in the upper echelon of the league in terms of ability and star power.

They just have to believe again that they belong. – Rappler.com