PHILIPPINE squads Choco Mucho and Rebisco collide in a classification battle in the 2021 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship on Wednesday at the Terminal 21 competition hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.
Lost their respective quarterfinal matches against hometown bets on Monday, the national pool teams now jostle to at least finish at sixth place in the seven-team field.
Both incidentally have not won a game in their ongoing campaign and are looking to finally break through in their face-off set for 1:30 p.m. (Manila time).
Choco Mucho fell to Thai powerhouse team Supreme Chonburi in straight sets, 25-13, 25-22, 25-21, in the quarterfinal to kiss its title hopes goodbye.
It struggled in the early goings of the contest, but competed better in the second and third sets, but it was not enough to defeat the more experienced Supreme Chonburi crew led by the trio of Pleumjit Thinkaow, Wipawee Srithong and Malika Kanthong.
Kalei Mau paced Choco Mucho with 16 points, followed by Myleen Paat with 14.
Rebisco, meanwhile, fell to Nakhon Ratchasima also in straight sets, 25-11, 25-19, 25-18.
The Thais were not to be denied a spot in the next round, making quick work of the Philippine side in the first two sets. They were challenged in the third frame, but eventually were able to extricate themselves midway en route to the victory.
Chatsuda Nilapa, Kuttika Kaewpin, Karina Krause and Chatchu-on Moksri led the way for Nakhon in the victory.
For Rebisco, it was National University player Ivy Lacsima who paced with nine points, backstopped by Ateneo’s Faith Nisperos with six points.
The winner between Choco Mucho and Rebisco advances to the fifth place match on Thursday against Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu while the one who falls finishes seventh.
The game will be aired live over One Sports+.
The Rebisco and Choco Mucho teams were assembled by the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF), which is using the tournament as part of its push to shore up its national team program. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo