Akari fended off every Choco Mucho comeback attempt as it swept to a 25-15, 26-24, 26-24 victory in Game 3, securing the bronze medal in the 2024–25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
With this bronze-clinching triumph, the Chargers notched back-to-back podium finishes, following their silver-medal run in the 2024 Reinforced Conference with another impressive campaign.
Choco Mucho came alive late in the third set, threatening to extend the match to a fourth. Sisi Rondina delivered back-to-back attacks, then capitalized on an Ivy Lacsina error to tie the score at 22-all, raising hopes for a Flying Titans comeback.
But Eli Soyud stepped up to halt the surge, delivering a sharp cross-court strike. Lacsina then redeemed herself with a well-placed hit, bringing Akari to match point at 24-22.
Rondina responded with a searing cross-court blast, only for Lacsina to misfire again, leveling the score at 24.
With pressure mounting, Soyud delivered once more — this time with a blistering down-the-line missile — before Lacsina soared for a final back-row attack that sealed the deal, handing the Chargers the bronze.
(C) PVL Images
“I’m just so glad because in the last game, we didn’t get the breaks of the game [just like during the latter part] of this conference. That’s a process [we have to go through] as a team. How we finished is really good,” said Akari head coach Taka Minowa.
“Lahat ng players, from the beginning, our performance is not unlike now. We [went through] six months and played more than 10 games and we made a lot of improvement. I’m so happy right now,” he added.
It was a tough road to bronze for the Chargers, who opened the series with a stunning five-set reverse sweep, 24-26, 21-25, 25-15, 25-18, 15-11. They were then caught off guard by a strong response from Choco Mucho, who bounced back to win Game 2, 25-18, 25-22, 26-28, 25-19.
Akari also had to overcome a close second-set encounter in Game 3, with the Flying Titans taking a 24-23 lead after a Maika Ortiz quick attack. However, Soyud, Lacsina, and Camille Victoria teamed up for a strong 3-0 finishing run, securing a 2-0 lead.
“Wala sa akin naman kasi, nandoon na kami — last points na lang. Ibigay na natin lahat, kasi mahirap pag binigyan pa namin ng momentum ang Choco, kasi magba-bounce back talaga sila. So habang nasa amin yung momentum, kunin na namin para hindi na kami mahirapan,” said Soyud.
Soyud led the Chargers with 18 points, including 15 attacks and three kill blocks, while Ced Domingo and Lacsina contributed 13 and 12 points, respectively, rounding out the double-digit scorers for Akari.
Victoria added eight points, while Grethcel Soltones, despite being limited to just six points, had a brilliant defensive game with 18 excellent digs and 17 excellent receptions. Michelle Cobb dished out 20 excellent sets to go along with two points.
(C) PVL Images
On the other hand, Sisi Rondina was the lone bright spot for Choco Mucho, scoring 14 points with 12 attacks and two blocks, along with 10 excellent digs.
Royse Tubino was the second-best scorer for the Flying Titans with nine points, while Ortiz and Isa Molde added four and three points, respectively.
The team fell short of the All-Filipino Conference podium after back-to-back silver campaigns.
#WATCH: Ivy Lacsina couldn’t hold back her tears after powering Akari to a hard-fought bronze finish in the toughest PVL conference yet
@jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times#PVL2025 pic.twitter.com/9AdUZoTF6G
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 12, 2025
