The tournament has worked wonders for the squad's development.
The Choco Mucho Flying Titans are raring to show off what they've learned and what they've got after finishing third in the VTV Cup in Vietnam last August.
They're diving right back into the action as the PVL Second All-Filipino Conference unfurls this Sunday.
For middle blocker Maddie Madayag, the VTC Cup was an important part of their growth and how they approach the game.
"Nakatulong siya sa maturity ng team and probably collected and adjusted ourselves during the game and in between," she told One Sports during practice on Monday. "(Makikita) kung saan na kami umabot sa sistema ni coach Dante (Alinsunurin)."
She was particularly impressed with how focused other nations were during the entire tournament.
"Very comfortable na 'yung players here," Madayag noted. "But nung nasa Vietnam kami, everybody was just serious and parang all the teams there were focused on playing. Lahat gusto manalo."
"Kahit hindi maganda naipakita nung first set, all the teams there pagdating ng second set, nakakabawi agad. So iba talaga 'yung mentality mo when it comes to the international stage."
Choco Mucho reached the semifinals of the VTV Cup after picking up wins against Japan's Kansai University of Social Welfare and South Korea's Suwon City in a tight five-setter.
The Flying Titans also had two five-set matches against Vietnam's second team. But the hosts got the win in both games. The Filipina spikers though salvaged a bronze with a four-set win against Kansai.
For Madayag, who has recovered from an ACL injury suffered in 2021, the grueling schedule of five games in five days was also a lesson in itself.
"Kailangan maayos how you take care of your body, how you recover. You just really have to be more disciplined with yourself," she noted.
Alinsunurin was also proud of how the Flying Titans took to his instructions.
"Sobrang nag-a-adjust kami sa bawat isa," he said. "Dahil sa VTV Cup, naging maganda na may competition kami, naging team-building, naging bonding namin."
Denden Lazaro-Revilla, meanwhile, gushed about how fellow libero Thang Ponce leveled up
"I'm really proud of Thang. She really played well sa VTV Cup," said Lazaro-Revilla.
The entry of spark plug Sisi Rondina delivered much-needed firepower for the Flying Titans this PVL season, but they still ended up with back-to-back seventh-place finishes.
She hopes the VTV Cup experience will lift them to greater heights in the season-ending conference.
"Gusto ko makita sa amin na gutom kaming manalo, gutom kaming maglaro. Gusto ko na makita ng mga tao na we are the Flying Titans," she told One Sports.
Choco Mucho will open the PVL Second All-Filipino Conference with a match against sister squad Creamline Cool Smashers this Sunday.
Watch it live at 7 p.m. on One Sports, One Sports+, and the Pilipinas Live app.
(PM)