Akari grabbed a quarterfinal seat in the PVL All-Filipino Conference, but the way the Chargers did it just won’t cut it in what is expected to be a treacherous road ahead.
“[We’ll focus on how to handle] the crucial times,” hitter Grethcel Soltones said in Filipino. “So that during the crucial times, anyone who is inside the court can lead.”
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“[We’ll also] focus on how to react to the adjustment of our opponent,” she added after contributing 11 points in her first game back since a minor knee injury sidelined her in December last year.
The Chargers moved on to the next round after surviving Farm Fresh, 25-11, 23-25, 18-25, 25-21, 15-9, on Tuesday at PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
What awaits them is giant-slaying Galeries Tower, which chopped down No. 3 Cignal on its way to the playoffs.
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And that stunning performance by the Highrisers put the Chargers on notice, especially since they seemed to ease up against the Foxies during crucial moments.
“[We lost] our aggressiveness and [the Foxies] adjusted so we needed to do the same in the game,” Ivy Lacsina said after leading the charge with 22 points, all but one from attacks.
“We were a bit late to adjust; and in the end game we had to remind ourselves to hang on because we already worked hard [to get a win],” Lacsina added.
Before this victory, things hadn’t been easy for the Chargers, who suffered two consecutive losses at the hands of also quarterfinals-bound Choco Mucho and the HD Spikers.
Much-needed leadership
“[We talked about] the culture we are building in the team and the trust we have with each other,” Lacsina said. “We stuck by it going into this game because we are a young team and so we still really need to get to know each other more.”
Michelle Cobb distributed 18 excellent sets that also allowed Eli Soyud to punch in 14 points and Cams Victoria 10 points, four coming from aces.
The return of Soltones also provided much-needed leadership for Akari, despite the dangerous scorer playing in just three sets and coming off the bench in the second.
And she looks forward to helping guide the rest of her team moving forward.
“[I need] to remind them that in crucial moments, we need to just focus on fixing our movements to deliver a point properly,” said Soltones, who added that she notices how her teammates get rattled when things turn tense in the match.
“I’ll also remind the team that we need to respect our opponents and have the mindset that everyone is a strong team here,” she added. “…Knowing Galeries, [they have] good players and [a strong] defense so we can’t belittle them because they also like where they are right now after defeating Cignal.”
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“A lot of things can still happen.” INQ
