MANILA – Nxled booked the first semifinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series after pulling off a 27-25, 25-22, 26-24 victory over Akari Thursday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.
Skipper Brooke Van Sickle scored 10 points as the Chameleons stretch their unbeaten run to six games.
“We just stuck it out together. Akari is a very hard team for us to play. They’re very good in defense and blocking and a very scrappy team, so we communicated early and just had to stay resilient and very patient as the game went on. I’m very proud that we stuck to it and didn’t care about what the score was,” Van Sickle, who turned to her left hand during training while recovering from a right shoulder injury, said after the match.
“After my shoulder injury, being able to participate in training meant using my left so I could still join practice. So, it was a lot of time hitting balls against the wall with my left. I just love to play so much that I don’t want to separate myself from it,” said the Fil-American, who earned the Best Player honors.
The victory, however, came at a physical cost, with Nxled’s Jonah Escamillan-Sabete and Akari’s Ivy Lacsina sustaining injury scares in the third set.
The Chameleons were trailing 14-16 when Escamillan-Sabete hurt her left knee while going for an attack midway through the frame.
Lacsina, on the other hand, hit the back of her head against an LED board as she chased a strong dig from Shiela Pineda late in the set.
MJ Phillips, Myla Pablo and Ennajie Cariño contributed nine points each, while Jackie Acuña and Escamillan added six points apiece in the one-hour, 39-minute match.
Eli Soyud finished with 16 points, while Ced Domingo had 10 for the Chargers, who slipped to seventh place at 3-4 but remain in the hunt for a semis berth.
Mereophe Sharma, Faith Nisperos and Lacsina chipped in six points apiece, while Marionne Alba dished out 17 excellent sets. (PNA)
