By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Akari Chargers overcame an early setback and turned back the tough challenge from the Farm Fresh Foxies, 17-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-23, to grab a seat in the semifinal round of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference on August 24, 2024, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Unlike their previous matchup where they blanked the Foxies to formalize themselves as the no. 1 team in the PVL going to the playoffs, the Chargers had a different scenario during the quarterfinals as Farm Fresh caught them off guard with their efficient attacks in the opening set.
Trisha Tubu was in the zone in the first set, paying off the trust of her setters as she finished almost every assist given to her whenever she was in the offensive area.
With the red-hot Tubu finding ways to put Farm Fresh in the early lead, the firepower of the Chargers slowly made a difference midway through the second set when they varied their offensive approach and doubled their effort in the blocking department.
The first adjustment that Akari had to make to steal the momentum was to lessen the unforced errors that hounded them in the first period.
With more precision and certainty with their sets that they run in the second period, the Chargers stormed back and leveled the game at 1-1.
Despite an intense battle in the final two sets, Akari came out on top after neutralizing Farm Fresh’s floor coverage with their clever ways to score the ball.
Akari didn’t settle for the power spikes to close out the game and chose to target Farm Fresh’s gaps in the backline, putting just enough top spins to place the ball in the open area that piled up their points.
Oly Okaro maintained her poise and consistent offense for the Chargers as the American import contributed 17 points. Gretchel Soltones, Akari’s veteran outside hitter, also produced the same amount of points as Okaro alongside 10 excellent receptions and nine excellent digs.
“We took some time and lost the first set, but from the second set onward, our players gradually found their groove. Maybe it’s about the pressure,” said Akari head coach Taka Minowa.
