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Games Saturday
4 p.m. – Farm Fresh vs Chery Tiggo
6:30 p.m. – ZUS Coffee vs Capital1
Akari staged a dramatic comeback to secure a hard-fought 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-18 victory over sister team Nxled to get back into the mix of things in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena on Thursday, Jan. 23.
The Chargers, led by a balanced offensive display from Ivy Lacsina and Faith Nisperos, improved to a 4-4 record while handing the Chameleons their seventh consecutive defeat. Lacsina led the way with 17 points, supported by Nisperos and Eli Soyud, who each contributed 15 markers, and Camille Victoria, who scored 10 points.
Akari bucked the absence of starting setter and skipper Michelle Cobb, who suffered a head bump and neck twist in the second set while trying to keep the ball in play. Despite losing the opening set, the Chargers regrouped and responded with poise in the following frames.
The second set was a turning point, with Akari leaning on Lacsina, Nisperos and Victoria to pull ahead. The third set, however, became the centerpiece of the match – a grueling 41-minute affair with 24 deadlocks.
In this pivotal set, Nxled’s Chiara Permentilla momentarily gave her team a 22-21 edge with a clutch hit. However, errors by the Chameleons allowed Akari to seize momentum, culminating in a decisive block by Victoria and a strong hit from Nisperos to clinch the set.
The Chameleons seemed poised to force a fifth set after storming to a 6-2 lead in the fourth. But the Chargers mounted a determined 8-4 rally to tie the game at 10. After a brief exchange of leads, Akari unleashed a 6-2 run to break away, ultimately closing out the match on a powerful Nisperos attack.
Lacsina took top-scoring honors for the third time this season, while Soyud’s six kill blocks underscored Akari’s dominance at the net, where they out-blocked Nxled 16-2. Nisperos added eight excellent receptions, and Justine Jazareno anchored the defense with 11 digs.
Permentilla delivered a game-high 20 points, but her performance was marred by several errors. Lucille May Almonte and Lycha Ebon added 13 and 11 points, respectively, while veteran Sheila Pineda contributed 14 digs and receptions in a solid defensive outing.
Despite winning the scoring battle in attacks (53-48) and serving nine aces to Akari’s six, the Chameleons were undone by unforced errors (27) and struggled to contain Akari’s imposing net defense.
The match also featured a tactical duel between Japanese coach Taka Minowa of Akari and Italian mentor Guidetti Ettore of Nxled. Ettore’s Chameleons started strong, taking the first set, but Minowa’s adjustments enabled the Chargers to take control in the succeeding frames.
With the win, Akari moved to seventh place in the standings, bouncing back from a straight-sets loss to PLDT High Speed Hitters last weekend. Nxled, still winless in seven games, continues to search for answers as they look to break their slump in the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Watsons.