After three consecutive losses, Akari finally entered the win column after fending off Army-Black Mamba in four sets, 25-18, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19 in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference, Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
Dindin Santiago-Manabat hammered down 23 points on 20 attacks, two blocks, and an ace to give the Chargers their first in the All-Filipino Conference and move to 1-3 in the standings.
Chiara Permentilla had an all-around performance of 13 points, all from the attack line, to go along with 10 excellent receptions and eight digs while Ezra Madrigal added 10 points including three blocks in two hours of 18 minutes of action.
“Well, congrats to my players for our first win. We keep on trying every single day to really train and I’m happy for them and I’m really grateful because we’re performing well,” said Akari head coach Jorge Souza de Brito.
The Chargers had the chance to close out the Lady Troopers in the tight third set but Jane Gonzales scored a 1-2 play that broke a 23-all deadlock and gave Army a 24-23 advantage. Erika Raagas then committed an attack error which extended the game to a fourth frame.
“We’re struggling in the beginning because the [other teams] are really stronger than us and they played better this time than our three matches before. But we are always trying our best and I’m sure that we can bring more surprises like last year,” he added.
Bang Pineda had 19 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions for Akari while Janine Marciano and Eli Soyud combined for 12 points.
On the other hand, Royse Tubino led the 0-3 Lady Troopers, who have now dropped their 16th consecutive game, with 20 points along with 13 excellent receptions.
Jeanette Villareal added 12 markers while Anggela Nunag had a stellar defensive outing with 18 excellent receptions and 17 excellent digs.
Akari will face PLDT on Tuesday at 6:30 PM (Philsports Arena) while Army looks to bounce back against Choco Mucho on Thursday at 4:00 PM (Filoil EcoOil Centre).
