The Akari Chargers wrap up a six-month-long campaign with a bronze medal in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
The Akari Chargers will be landing on the podium in the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference after closing out the gritty Choco Mucho Titans 25-15, 26-24, 26-24 in their bronze medal match over the weekend at the Philsports Arena.
This now serves as the Chargers’ first podium finish in the all-local tilt, and second overall in franchise history following their breakthrough finals appearance in the 2024 Reinforced Conference with opposite hitter Oly Okaro.
Eli Soyud led the closeout effort with a game-high 18 markers, while drawing ample support from a resurgent Ced Domingo with 13 points, and Ivy Lacsina with 12.
“I’m just so proud because during the last game, it wasn’t our best game for this conference, but how we finished [against Choco Mucho], it’s really good. It wasn’t like the beginning, and we have made a lot of improvement over the past six months,” head coach Taka Minowa said post-game.
Vindication complete
While Akari’s Reinforced Conference run was a major breakthrough, Minowa revealed how it’s often brushed off as a fluke. That the Chargers only had an Oly Okaro to carry them, and they weren’t exactly a playoff contender by any means.
Proving themselves as an all-local core has also been a mission for Akari throughout the All-Filipino wars, which they completed on Saturday by sweeping the Sisi Rondina-led Choco Mucho.
“Syempre, para samin sobrang laki nitong achievement, kasi ‘yun nga po, parang last year, andon si Oly and parang kailangan talaga namin mag-doble trabaho,” an emotional Lacsina, who held back her tears, said post-game.
Soyud added how Akari turned these criticisms as fuel for their All-Filipino run.
“Yun nga, sabi ni Coach Taka, ang daming nagsasabi na napunta lang kami sa finals kasi dahil kay Oly. Isang malaking challenge siya for us para mag-fill in sa gap na iniwan ni Oly. ‘Yung points na nabibigay nya sa team, syempre sobrang kayod lang talaga kami, and ‘yung tiwala ng coaches, ng teammates namin so ayun, ngayon nandito kami,” she said.
It was far from a smooth-sailing conference for the Chargers, who went on a four-game losing skid midway into preliminaries, and ultimately entered the playoff rounds as the seventh seed with a 5-6 record.
Akari needed to survive their share of five-setters just to make the Final Four, overcoming the Farm Fresh Foxies during the qualifiers, and the defensive-oriented Galeries Tower Highrisers in the quarterfinals.
Even their bronze medal hopes were on the line after Choco Mucho leveled their best-of-three series last April 10, before capitalizing on Saturday’s rubber match to take home another PVL medal.
Despite a valiant fight by Choco Mucho in Sets 2 and 3, it was the one-two punch of Lacsina and Soyud who held down the fort for the Chargers.
“Siguro, sakin, ‘yung last point na, parang syempre, parang naisip ko na ‘yung lahat ng nangyari ngayong conference, parang siguro ‘yung last point binuhos ko na,” said Lacsina, who scored the game-winning point against Choco Mucho.
“Ang sarap lang sa feeling kasi grabe lang ‘yung pag-aaway namin, then ‘yung iyak, dugo, talagang binuhos talaga namin dito. And ayun, ngayon naman sobrang saya namin sa naging result ng game.”
Gold up next?
Now that they have proven their mettle as a PVL powerhouse, it’s now up to the Akari Chargers to maintain that status as they move forward into the next conferences. It’s easier said than done, but no doubt this six-month-long tourney has given them countless lessons they can build upon.
Not to mention, there is now that confidence gained from playing as an all-local unit, which they will bring moving forward as they grow into one cohesive unit.
“Syempre talagang nonstop po na trabaho, since ang goal talaga namin ngayon is mag-podium. Pero syempre, ‘yung pinakagusto namin is mag-gold, so wala talagang titigil samin, pahinga lang nang onti and then back to the drawing board po,” said Lacsina.
For Soyud, it will be a matter of improving their team chemistry so they can grow into legitimate PVL finals contenders.
“Talagang kailangan lang din na mapulido pa, syempre ‘yung connection namin, especially sa setters and middles namin, and ‘yung maililiit na mga errors. Yun, kailangan namin i-poolish talaga para mas maging ready kami para sa championship.”
Banner images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.