STA. ROSA — By no means did Akari’s league-best five-game winning run come easy.
If anything, the stretch squeezed into just three weeks has tested the Chargers’ endurance, with little room to recover in between games.
From their February 24 win over Nxled to their March 17 triumph against Galeries Tower, Akari played at a demanding pace of one game every 5.25 days, a grind that has started to take its toll physically.
READ: Akari shuts down Galeries Tower to stretch win streak to five
Akari veteran Grethcel Soltones embodied that wear-and-tear, finishing with eight points and eight digs against the Highrisers despite not being at full strength.
The veteran spiker revealed she had been feeling unwell as early as their previous outing.
“Since Creamline game [last Thursday], hindi na po ako okay,” Soltones bared.
Rather than sit out, however, she chose to push through, unwilling to leave head coach Tina Salak shorthanded at a critical point in the preliminaries.
“Hindi na ako nagsasabi kasi nga parang ayoko rin po silang mag-isip, lalo na si coach [Tina Salak] na dalawa ‘yung team na hina-handle. Tapos nu’ng Sunday sa WORLDBEX, kailangan po naming pumunta para matuwa rin po ‘yung owners.
“Du’n po nag-start na nagka-trangkaso na ako’t hindi nakapag-training. Kahapon lang po kasi hirap akong huminga. Sa pananalita ko rin po, para akong may mic [sa ilong].”
The packed schedule has forced Akari to simply push through the grind, much like every other team navigating the long conference.
For Salak, the challenge now lies in striking the right balance, keeping her players sharp without overextending already fatigued bodies.
“Kahit na alam kong napapagod na sila, they show up,” said Salak.
“Nakaka-boost ‘yun ng motivation, even sa aming mga coaches. Tinutulungan namin sila to get past ‘yung dryness minsan sa training. Kami mismo ‘yung nagtataas sa kanila dahil hindi pwedeng pilitin ‘yung activities sa kanila pero ‘yung intensity, mababa.”
Drawing from her own experience as a former player, Salak emphasized the importance of managing both workload and morale as they inch closer to the next phase.
“Galing din naman ako sa pagiging player so alam ko ‘yung nararamdaman nila,” she said.
“Malaking factor din sa amin ‘yung araw-araw na kami magkakasama, na kahit na pagod na pagod na, nandun pa rin talaga sila.”
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