Akari continued to gain momentum, edging erstwhile league leader Cignal in a thrilling five-set battle, 25-23, 20-25, 11-25, 25-23, 15-12, for back-to-back wins in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Saturday at the Filoil Centre.
After a rough start that saw them drop their first four games, the Chargers seemed to have found their rhythm, riding consecutive victories to improve to a 2-4 record.
Ivy Lacsina and Fifi Sharma led Akari’s gutsy performance, with Lacsina tallying 20 points on 16 attacks, three kill blocks, and one ace, along with 11 excellent receptions. Sharma contributed 16 points on 11 attacks and five of the team’s 13 blocks.
(C) PVL Images
“Actually, yung team naman kilala na namin. I have so much faith dito sa team. Even ganun, kami nags-struggle. First, alam namin how to bounce back. Ang reality nun, nate-test yung character ng players,” said Chargers head coach Tina Salak.
“So nagkakaroon din ng magandang motivation sa players sa upcoming games namin. Malaking bagay yung binibigay na suporta, even yung nasa bench,” she added.
After forcing a fifth set with a thrilling fourth-frame comeback, Akari surged ahead, breaking a 5-all deadlock with back-to-back conversions from Lacsina, followed by a quick attack from Sharma and a strike from Ishie Lalongisip that went out, giving them a commanding 9-5 lead.
The Super Spikers, however, refused to go down quietly. Jackie Acuña roofed Lacsina on the next play, while Jewel Encarnacion and Vanie Gandler scored off an ace and a backrow attack, narrowing Akari’s lead to 9-8.
The teams exchanged points until Lacsina emphatically blocked Santos and Eli Soyud squeezed one through the block, giving Akari a crucial 13-10 advantage.
Santos answered with a searing down-the-line hit but was denied at the net by Sharma, pushing the Chargers to match point, 14-11. The PVL on Tour MVP saved another point for Cignal, but Gretchel Soltones delivered the game-clinching attack after two hours and 14 minutes of play.
“So, team effort, especially sa coaches. Yun nga, kailangan pa naming hawakan e kasi yung momentum na to hindi puwedeng mag-slip away kasi we have our goal to achieve,” Salak said.
Soyud added 14 points on 12 attacks and two kill blocks, while Ced Domingo also finished with 14 for the Chargers. Soltones contributed six points and 19 excellent receptions. Mars Alba orchestrated the offense with 18 excellent sets and three points, while team captain and libero Justine Jazareno tallied 19 excellent digs.
Akari will aim for a third straight win against Capital1 next Saturday at 6:30 p.m. at the same venue.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, the Super Spikers suffered their second loss of the tournament, slipping to 4-2.
Santos carried Cignal’s fight in the fifth set, finishing with 23 points, while Gandler matched that output with 23 markers on 19 attacks, three aces, and one block, along with 11 excellent receptions. Acuña added 10 points, while Tin Tiamzon chipped in seven points and seven excellent receptions off the bench.
Setter Gel Cayuna had another strong outing with 23 excellent sets and seven points, while Dawn Catindig recorded 27 excellent digs.
Cignal will look to bounce back against ZUS Coffee on Thursday at 4 p.m., also at the Filoil Centre.
