Akari secures sweep over Galeries Tower to stay in PVL Top 3 hunt

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SAN JUAN, Philippines — Akari returned to the win column with a sweep victory, but not without a fight. The Chargers subdued Galeries Tower, 25-11, 25-23, 25-23, to strengthen their Top 3 position in Pool B of the PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday, October 28, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre.

Coming off a painful five-set loss to Petro Gazz, the Chargers opened strong and seemed poised for an easy outing after dominating the opening set. But the Highrisers refused to crumble, testing Akari’s poise in the next two frames and forcing them to rally late to avoid another marathon.

Import Annie Mitchem delivers a team-high 14 points for the Chargers. [PVL Images]

Chargers show composure in closing stretch

The Chargers even trailed 18-23 in the third before Annie Mitchem, Ced Domingo, and Grethcel Soltones sparked a 7-0 finishing blast to complete the sweep — their first of the tournament after three games that all went the distance. Soltones and Domingo delivered crucial hits, cutting the gap to 18-22 before Mitchem capped the comeback with consecutive blocks and a clutch kill, as Galeries Tower faltered down the stretch.

“We really wanted to sweep all our remaining games,” said head coach Tina Salak. “But we still have to work on our attitude toward the game and how we respond as teammates. We’re still adjusting to the system, and I’m grateful to have Mars (Alba) as our setter because she’s adapting very well.”

Balanced attack leads Akari revival

Mitchem powered Akari with 14 points on 10 attacks and four blocks, along with seven digs and four receptions. Eli Soyud also scored 14 markers built on eight attacks, three aces, and one block. Soltones chipped in nine points and five receptions, while Fifi Sharma added eight.

Setter Mars Alba orchestrated the offense efficiently with 20 excellent sets and contributed four points of her own. The win improved Akari’s record to 2-1, keeping them in strong contention for a semifinal spot.

The Chargers will next face ZUS Coffee on Tuesday at the MOA Arena.

Galeries Tower, meanwhile, ended the first round winless at 0-5 and will move to Pool D, where they will meet the top three teams from Pool A. Montenegrin import Jelena Cvijovic led the Highrisers with 10 points and seven receptions, while Jean Asis and France Ronquillo added nine apiece.