PVL: Maddie Madayag laments wasted chances against Akari — ‘We should have won’
MANILA — Choco Mucho middle blocker Maddie Madayag could not hide her frustration after the Flying Titans fell short in a dramatic five-set thriller against the Akari Chargers in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab series last Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
The Flying Titans mounted a furious late-game rally in the deciding frame, erasing a 13-9 deficit to force a 14-all deadlock.
However, Choco Mucho failed to complete the turnaround, with scores of 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14, as Eli Soyud delivered a clutch off-the-block hit to push Akari back to match point once more from the 15-all mark, before Mars Alba sealed the win by denying Sisi Rondina-Rosales at the net.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Madayag admitted that the loss stung, given how critical every game is in the tight playoff race.
“I don’t know kasi at this point, dikit ‘yung standings. We should have won this game, pero ayun na nga, mas pinakita ng Akari na mas ginusto nila,” a disappointed Madayag shared. “It’s unfortunate lang na ang dami naming bala, and hindi namin naipakita.”
The defeat dropped Choco Mucho into a three-way logjam for the fourth spot at 3-3, alongside Akari and PLDT, following Farm Fresh’s five-set victory over the High Speed Hitters earlier today.
With the race to the Top 4 tightening up, Madayag stressed the urgency for the Flying Titans to quickly reset as they brace for a crucial showdown against sister team and defending champions Creamline Cool Smashers.
“We have to say na bawi na lang kami next game, tapos against Creamline pa,” Madayag noted. “The losses are very degrading, pero ayun na nga, it’s part of the game, it’s part of being a professional athlete—you win and you lose. It’s just how kami as a team kung paano namin i-handle ‘yung loss and bounce back from that.”
“Give us a day to recover and think on what went wrong and what we did to make it better. But again, we have to fight against Creamline,” she added.