AKARI wasted no time in clinching the bronze medal at Choco Mucho’s expense, 25-15, 26-24, 26-24, in Game Three of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference battle for third on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
Bar a late 11-3 blitz in Set 2 that went for naught, the Flying Titans ran out of gas as Akari went on to lead by as much as six in the final frame.
But even after saving two match points in a late third-frame comeback, Ivy Lacsina had just enough left in the tank to seize the bronze once and for all.
Eli Soyud saved her very best for last with an 18-piece built on 15 attacks and three blocks to clinch a once-unlikely medal.
The Chargers reached the PVL podium for the second straight conference they were part of — a fitting follow-up to their dream run in last year’s Reinforced Conference where they fell short to Creamline in the knockout title game.
In doing so, Akari became the lowest-seeded team to finish in the top three of a PVL conference.
The last team to do it was Banko Perlas who, like Akari, finished prelims play as the No. 7 seed before outlasting Pocari Sweat–Air Force for the bronze in two games which it won by virtue of having more match points.
Akari’s breakthrough victory emerged in only the league’s second-ever battle for third series that was decided in three games.
In the 13 occasions the bronze medal was disputed in a best-of-three series, the last time three games were needed to determine the third placers was back in the 2019 Reinforced Conference.
Defunct teams PacificTown–Army and BanKo Perlas dueled for the bronze, with the latter winning the series opener before the former completed a three-game reverse sweep.
Coincidentally, Creamline and Petro Gazz contested the PVL Finals in that conference — one also won by the Angels in three games.
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