Rebisco, Choco Mucho look to bounce back after early losses in Thailand meet

The Philippines' Rebisco and Choco Mucho vowed to have stronger showings after suffering identical results on the opening day of the 2021 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship on Friday in Thailand.

Choco Mucho fell prey to home team Nakhon Ratchasima, 25-11, 28-26, 25-17, before Rebisco absorbed a 25-23, 25-13, 25-17 straight-sets defeat at the hands of more experienced Altay VC of Kazakhstan.

Choco Mucho team captain and setter Iris Tolenada stressed their loss will be a learning tool as they move forward in the seven-day tournament, which also marked the national team's first taste of action since the 2019 SEA Games.

“The good thing about this being the first match is that we can learn from it, we watch the video and we’re just going to keep learning along,” Tolenada said.

Choco Mucho played without two of its key players, Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron after the duo was loaned to Rebisco, which had four players in quarantine prior to the start of the contest.

Kalei Mau stepped up for Choco Mucho, producing 12 points anchored on 11 attacks and a block against a Thai team bannered by Nootsara Tomkom and Kuttika Kaewpin.

Meanwhile, Rebisco's Baron said they need to adjust on the court as they were on a break for almost two years.

“Stepping on the court for the first time in one and a half years felt like brand new for me,” Baron said. “We needed to adjust again and I know we would have to improve our muscle memory.”

Choco Mucho hopes to regroup and bounce back when it collides with Zhetyssu of Kazakhstan today at 1:30 p.m. (Manila time) while Rebisco aims to grab its first win against Supreme Chonburi at 4:30 p.m.

—JMB, GMA News