Choco Mucho reinforcement Marlee Smith in action. PVL Media Bureau
RODRIGUEZ, Rizal — Choco Mucho reinforcement Marlee Smith only has good thoughts for the Flying Titans as the squad heads out of the 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.
The Flying Titans missed out on a playoff spot after falling behind in wins and points in the import-laden tourney. However, they will be exiting with a win, handing Akari a 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-21 loss on Tuesday at the Ynares Center here, finishing with 3-5 (nine points).
READ: PVL: Choco Mucho hands Akari a four-set loss before exiting Reinforced tilt
Reflecting on that win, Smith lauded the hard work of her teammates, adding that with or without her, "good" things will come for Choco Mucho.
"I feel like we played very well tonight. We played very composed and our hard work gave us positive results. It is sad to walk away but however I do still believe that they can do good things with or without me," Smith said, anchoring the parting victory with 18 points.
Smith also thanked the people who was with her in her PVL journey.
"I'm excited to see where they head next. But most of all, I just want to say thank you to everyone who believed in me and supported me through everything because it's been a long journey. But like I said, I'm just excited to see where things take them from here," she uttered.
Smith had nothing but gratitude as she developed esteemed friendships along the way and learned to be more resilient than ever.
"What stuck with me the most and the most important thing is I feel like developing actual real friendships and developing myself as a woman," said Smith.
"Like, letting myself be able to make mistakes as long as I can come back from them. So that's something that I'll take into the world for the rest of my life."
Choco Mucho's hopes of advancing to the next round was dashed after the results of the last playdate, when Petro Gazz routed Capital1, completing the quarterfinals cast.
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