AKARI held fort as the league’s last undefeated team by taking down Cignal, 15-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, to end Round 1 of the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday at the Philsports Arena.
American reinforcement Oly Okaro presided over the Chargers’ five-game sweep of Pool B with 24 points on 22 attacks, one block and one ace.
Both Akari (5-0) and Cignal (4-1) will carry their commanding first-round records onto the next round alongside Pool B’s third seed, where they’ll take on the bottom three sides in Pool A.
“To be honest, I must say it’s really Coach Taka (Minowa) and his system (that’s working). And also, ‘yung mga nadagdag sa team naming mga players, like Ivy (Lacsina), Kamuy (Cal), Dani (Ravena) and Cams (Victoria). Very big help talaga sila in this new Akari team,” said Ced Domingo, who had 10 markers on six attacks and four blocks in the win.
“‘Yung mga major changes na nangyari, kita naman na it’s really working and everyone is trusting the system.”
Ivy Lacsina continues to shine as Akari’s leading local scorer in her first conference with her new team after a 14-point outing.
Another hard-hitting ace, Grethcel Soltones, made a strong impression on floor defense with a double-double of 19 receptions and 11 digs to her name.
Even as Venezuelan spiker MJ Perez fell one dig shy of a triple-double with her 24 points, 11 receptions and nine digs, no other HD Spiker hit double figures as Riri Meneses’ nine markers led the locals in Cignal’s first loss of the conference.
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