With her body still recovering from injuries, Grethcel Soltones refused to let pain hold her back — and in doing so, she powered Akari to the semifinals of the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
Soltones stepped up in the crucial moments of Game 2, guiding the Chargers to a hard-fought five-set victory, 19-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 15-12, over Galeries Tower in the quarterfinals.
The former PVL Best Outside Hitter tallied 13 points — five of which came in the decisive fifth set — as Akari secured its second consecutive trip to the semifinals.
“Ako parang may gusto akong patunayan sa sarili ko, kasi nga kakabalik ko lang. So kailangan ko siyang… Lalo na sa body ko na kailangan ko ma-sustain yung pagod, lalo na pabalik pa lang ako,” said Soltones, who had been sidelined by injuries earlier in the conference.
(C) PVL Images
Soltones endured a right hand injury early in the tournament, followed by a knee injury that kept her out of Akari’s final four preliminary round games. She eventually returned in the qualifying round, eager to contribute to her team’s campaign.
The Chargers faced a stern challenge from the Highrisers, overcoming a 2-1 set deficit twice in the series to complete the sweep and secure their semifinal berth.
“Siguro yung talagang pinagtrabahuhan namin, kasi talagang mahirap kalaban yung [Galeries],” said Soltones.
“Well, kahit sino naman pero kasi yung Galeries iba din talaga yung depensa kaya sabi namin sa fourth set na hindi namin talaga dapat sayangin yung mga pinagtrabahuhan natin in the past sets,” she added.
With Akari eyeing redemption after falling short in last year’s Reinforced Conference finals against Creamline, Soltones knows the work is far from over.
“Actually, sabi ko nga kay Coach Taka (Minowa), ang gusto ko as a player, gusto ko pumasok ng (top) four,” said the veteran outside hitter.
“Kasi yun nga sinasabi ko rin sa kanya na hindi kami pwede mag-expect, kasi yun nga, nung una talo, talo… So, parang kami ang mindset na lang talaga namin, yun nga sabi niya na every training, every game, magiging better kami.”
