MONTALBAN, RIZAL — Head coach Tina Salak marked her debut for Akari with a hard-fought win on Saturday, as the Chargers fended off a furious comeback attempt by ZUS Coffee at the Ynares Center here.
But while the victory was sweet, the veteran setter-turned-coach wasn’t completely satisfied, recognizing that her team merely displayed grit and resiliency against the Thunderbelles.
Having only joined the squad one to two weeks ago, Salak is aware that this is just the beginning of her journey with Akari, and that building chemistry remains a work in progress.
Salak was absent in Akari’s first two games of the 2025 Premier Volleyball League On Tour in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur — both losses against powerhouse teams Creamline and Cignal.
“Actually, na-surprise rin ako, na-surprise rin ako sa performance ng team, kasi kakabalik ko lang from vacation,” said Salak after their gutsy 26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 17-25, 17-15 escape against ZUS Coffee.
“‘Yung [expectation] namin hindi ganoon kataas, but ‘yung resiliency nakita ko. Malaking factor ‘yun sa team, ‘yun din naman ‘yung kailangan namin at this point,” she added.
Fresh from her break, Salak now focuses on a short-term goal: to establish a strong connection between players and coaching staff. For her, communication is key — both on and off the court — to translate systems into winning results.
Currently, Akari sits at solo fourth in Pool B with a 1-2 record, and they hope to make it back-to-back wins on Sunday when they face Chery Tiggo, also at the Ynares Center, at 4:00 PM.
(C) PVL Images
“‘Yung immediate goal namin magkaroon kami ng relationship, maayos muna namin. Kasi, ‘yung timing din hindi rin maganda,” shared Salak, who also serves as head coach of the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP.
“Umalis ako, bumalik ako, then may laro. Parang hindi rin namin maba-balance kung saan kami magsisimula. So, siguro ‘yun muna — ‘yung relationship muna ayusin namin. And then, makita namin ‘yung trust. I-trust namin ‘yung isa’t isa. Madali kasi kapag napa-tiwala, madali nang mapa-sunod. Mapapagaan ‘yung trabaho.”
Salak also asked for patience, noting that this is the team’s fourth coaching transition in just three years — going from Jorge De Brito to Raffy Mosuela, then Taka Minowa, and now to her.
Luckily, she won’t have to start entirely from scratch. Chenie Tagaod and Max Juangco, who played under her at FEU, are already familiar with her system and are expected to help ease the transition for the rest of the squad.
“Medyo mahirap ‘yung transition namin. Especially doon sa situation ng team. Pero actually, ‘yung transition kasi hindi naman magiging madali para sa lahat. Definitely, mapapadali naman ‘yan dahil sa mga kasama mo sa team,” said the legendary FEU setter.
“Very thankful sa team members, especially doon sa players na winelcome kami sa Akari. Winelcome din nila ‘yung sistema. Magkakaroon lang talaga ng malaking adjustments para sa kanila to accept. Pero nandoon na eh, nakikita naman natin eh. Unti-unti lang.”
