Photo: PVL
Akari rebounded from a heartbreaking five-set loss to secure a straight-sets victory over Galeries Tower, 25-11, 25-23, 25-23, in Pool B of the PVL Reinforced Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. The win strengthened the Chargers’ push for a top-three finish, delivering their first sweep of the conference after a series of grueling matches.
The match started with Akari dominating the first set, but Galeries Tower responded in the following frames, testing the Chargers’ composure. In the third set, Akari trailed 18-23 before Ced Domingo, Annie Mitchem, and Grethcel Soltones led a decisive 7-0 run to close out the match.
Despite facing a strong challenge, the Chargers never faltered. Soltones and Domingo’s timely attacks helped narrow the deficit, and although Galeries Tower’s Jelena Cvijovic countered effectively, Akari’s closing surge, aided by opponent errors, ensured the sweep in one hour and 26 minutes.
Mitchem led the team with 14 points, including 10 attacks, four kill blocks, seven excellent digs, and four excellent receptions. Eli Soyud added 14 points on eight attacks, three aces, and one block. Soltones contributed nine markers and five excellent receptions, while Fifi Sharma added eight points in a balanced effort. Setter Mars Alba orchestrated the offense with 20 excellent sets and four points.
Akari will next face ZUS Coffee at the MOA Arena on Tuesday.
Galeries Tower concluded the first round winless at 0-5 and will move to Pool D to compete against the top three teams from Pool A. Cvijovic finished with 10 points and seven excellent receptions, while Jean Asis and France Ronquillo added nine markers each.
