THERE was no sisterly love whatsoever, as Akari drubbed also-ran Nxled, 25-13, 25-17, 25-22, in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference on Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Down 19-10 in the third set, the Chameleons made one last charge, going on a 10-3 run to cut the lead to two before eventually falling short.
That's all due to Annie Mitchem who stayed relentless at the frontlines, powering the Chargers in snapping their two-game skid and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
The American spiker led the charge for the win with 22 points and 10 receptions.
Grethcel Soltones added 12 points and 11 digs, complementing Justine Jazareno’s defensive efforts, which included 15 digs and 10 receptions.
Mars Alba set up a clean sweep win with 21 excellent sets and three points.
Akari followed Cignal’s lead in breaking away from the four-way mid-table tie, leaping from seventh to fifth at 4-3, ahead by a single match point (12 to 11).
"We had a really, really nice recovery, but even though, marami pa rin kaming lapses from the last game. We still have to improve yung mga small balls namin," said head coach Tina Salak.
"I’m very happy that we recovered and we played well. Happy pa rin ako, knowing na my former team was Nxled, pero iba na ‘yung mission namin ngayon."
The Chargers stormed right out of the gate with an explosive 10-0 blitz from an 8-all tie in the opening set, setting the tone for what turned into a one-sided contest.
No next women up
Now officially out of the playoff picture, the Chameleons fell to the bottom of the standings at 0-7 — eight straight losses, including the PVL on Tour knockout quarterfinals last August.
Spanish winger Paola Martinez and leading local scorer Chiara Permentilla were both stymied by Akari with just 10 points each. The latter also added nine receptions.
Seven of Nxled's locals scored either just one or two points in the loss, combining for 11 markers.
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