MONTALBAN, Rizal — Akari snapped a two-game skid and gave new coach Tina Salak a winning debut, surviving ZUS Coffee, 26-24, 25-21, 17-25, 17-25, 17-15, in the PVL on Tour Saturday evening at Ynares Center Montalban.
After a winless two-game stop in Vigan, Ilocos Sur–which Salak missed due to personal matters–the Chargers finally entered the win column with old reliables Eli Soyud and Grethcel Soltones leading the way for a 1-2 record in Pool B.
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Soltones finished with 23 points and 11 digs, while Soyud, the Most Improved Player of the previous PVL season, scored seven of her 19 points in the fifth set.
“Since everything’s new—the system, everything—we really need to pick up Coach Tina’s system quickly so we won’t struggle in the next games. We’re also very happy because even with how things went, we were able to recover in the end thanks to the reminders from the coaches, especially Coach Tina,” said Soltones in Filipino.
Akari Chargers’ Eli Soyud
Akari Chargers during a PVL on Tour game against ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles. –PVL PHOTO
Soyud sent the Chargers to match point, 14-13, but rookie AC Miner forced a deuce. Both squads exchanged errors before Ced Domingo brought them back on top with a 16-15 lead. A costly attack error by Kate Santiago allowed Akari to escape with a win.
“Coach told us, ‘It would be such a waste if we worked so hard in the first two sets only to end up losing.’ That really pushed me, and I thought, ‘Yeah, it would be a waste if we didn’t get anything out of all our effort,’” said Soyud. “So I just pushed myself to score in the fifth set, especially since we were all tired already, but we needed to keep going.”
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Domingo delivered 12 points. Ivy Lacsina had nine points. Chenie Tagaod and Ezra Madrigal chipped in six points. Setter Kamille Cal had 15 excellent sets on top of six points, while libero Dani Ravena protected the floor with 22 digs and 13 excellent receptions.
“I was surprised with how the team performed, especially since I just got back from vacation. We didn’t have super high expectations, but I really saw the team’s resiliency, and that’s a big factor for us, especially at this point. Instead of dwelling on the injuries, we chose to focus on winning,” said Salak in Filipino.
“The good thing is, hopefully, we can recover quickly since we have another game tomorrow. We’re also thankful to ZUS. That game really tested the team’s character These two right here, (Soyud and Soltones) were key factors. They really held on to what they wanted to happen.”
Soltones had a clutch showing in the first two sets. She drilled the last two points for Akari in the opening set and capped a 6-1 turnaround in the second set.
But the Chargers, who were bogged down with 32 errors, lost steam in the ensuing sets to allow ZUS Coffee to pull level.
Akari hopes to carry the momentum against Chery Tiggo, which fended off Capital1 in four sets earlier, on Sunday at 4 p.m.
Jov Gonzaga played through cramps in the final set and finished with 23 points, 12 receptions, and 11 digs in a losing effort. Chinnie Arroyo had 17 points, while rookie Miner debuted with 12 points.
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ZUS Coffee hopes to bounce back against the winless Capital1 also on Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
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