MANILA – Akari banked on Eli Soyud’s explosive performance to pull off a 25-22, 25-27, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 victory over Farm Fresh in the PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Tuesday.
Soyud delivered 30 points, including 27 attacks, in the two-hour and 31-minute win that boosted the Chargers’ semis bid.
Ivy Lacsina chipped in 21 points, followed by Fifi Sharma with 11 points, including three blocks, as Akari notched its second straight win after opening its campaign with two losses.
“Kailangan lang naming bumawi sa mga nakaraang games na natalo kami. Alam ko naman na hindi pa talaga naipapakita ng team ang buong potential namin (We just need to bounce back from the games we lost. I know that the team hasn’t fully shown its potential yet),” Soyud said.
“Ang nag-click sa amin ay ’yung willingness ng bawat isa na manalo at bumawi sa mga unang talo naming (What helped us was everyone’s willingness to win and bounce back from our initial losses),” she added.
The Chargers also dominated at the net with a commanding 13-3 advantage in blocks, despite holding only a slim 72-71 edge in attacks.
“Yung character kasi ng bawa’t isa nandoon, kailangan lang mailabas. Ngayon siguro nagkaroon lang kami ng magandang connection sa bawa’t isa kaya ‘yung gustong mangyari, nai-translate sa puntos (Everyone’s character is already there; it just needs to be brought out. Perhaps we’ve now developed a great connection with one another, which is why what we aim to achieve is being translated into points),” Akari deputy coach Eddieson Orcullo said.
Trisha Tubu topscored with 25 points for Farm Fresh, while Royse Tubino and Mylene Paat-Rezanova added 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Akari will face winless Galeries Tower on Nov. 3 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. (PNA)
