Super soldier: Tubino steps up amid injury spell, commands Choco Mucho to PVL finals cusp

MANILA, Philippines – Against all odds, the Choco Mucho Flying Titans are now back on the verge of booking a PVL finals return trip following a stunning 25-20, 25-19, 25-23 sweep of the reeling Chery Tiggo Crossovers on Thursday, May 2.

Already without star Des Cheng and bench middle blocker Aduke Ogunsanya due to ACL tears for practically the entire 2024 All-Filipino tilt, Choco Mucho also lost another star in Kat Tolentino in the home stretch due to an ear-related issue, but the team still somehow stands first in line on the finals track.

Enter veteran winger Royse Tubino, who not only accepted a minimal role since being acquired by the Flying Titans in the offseason, but also kept sharp enough to immediately start producing like a star when her extended services were required as the round-robin semifinals were approaching.

After powering down 20 points in Choco Mucho’s historic five-set reversal of sister team Creamline to kick off the playoffs, the former PLDT and Army stalwart then added 17 more against Chery Tiggo, this time in just three frames, and is now within grasp of her first career PVL finals appearance.

Ever the humble soldier, Sergeant Tubino still downplayed her scoring streak in the conference’s crunch time, instead deflecting praise to the people around her.

“I’m really happy especially for the coaching staff and my teammates because they are always there to support me and guide me,” she said in Filipino. “Even though I’m a veteran, I still need guidance especially from the coaches. That has just been my mindset.”

Now just a win against Petro Gazz away from a guaranteed finals spot, Tubino remains locked in at the task at hand as she is expected to be one of Choco Mucho’s main driving forces in its ongoing pursuit of a maiden PVL title, possibly even if Tolentino returns.

“We just need to be more aggressive. Earlier we had a slow start. We have two days of training before Petro Gazz so we have to get that aggressive tone going,” she continued.

“I see the effort of all my coaches and teammates paying off. We deserve these wins against Creamline and Chery Tiggo because we all worked hard to be where are at.” – Rappler.com