Akari let three match points slip away but still found a way to stay alive in the PVL All-Filipino Conference semis race. The Chargers outlasted Choco Mucho, 25-19, 22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 16-14, at Philsports Arena in Pasig on Saturday night, November 7.

Akari improved to 3-3 and caught the Flying Titans at joint sixth. The win does not assure the Chargers of a Final Four berth, but it keeps them firmly in contention in a crowded race.

Akari Outlasts Choco Mucho in Five

Choco Mucho staged a furious comeback from 14-11 down, with Kat Tolentino delivering two clutch hits in a 3-0 run that tied it at 14. The surge saved three match points and sent the pro-Choco Mucho crowd into a frenzy.

Eli Soyud then delivered the go-ahead point with an off-the-block hit on her second attempt. Setter Mars Alba finished the job with a right-hand block on Sisi Rondina-Rosales’ match-extending attack, sending the ball into an unguarded Zone 1.

The decider featured four deadlocks and nine blocks. Soyud blocked Eya Laure for the opening point, Laure answered in kind, and Akari later built a 5-2 cushion on a Ced Domingo ace.

The match lasted two hours and 19 minutes and was the ninth in the Series to go the distance. Both teams traded resounding rejections at the net throughout the fifth set.

Soyud, Lacsina Power Akari Win

Soyud led Akari with 17 points in a bounce-back effort after the Chargers’ five-set loss to Galeries Tower on Tuesday. Ivy Lacsina also had 17, while Fifi Sharma added eight, Domingo seven, and Grethcel Soltones and Faith Nisperos six apiece.

The Chargers won the net battle, 13 blocks to eight, and edged Choco Mucho, 61-60, in attacks. They also turned Choco Mucho’s miscues into 29 turnover points despite surrendering 32 points on errors.

Soyud’s leadership proved vital in a match that demanded every ounce of the Chargers’ fighting spirit. “Nag-set ako ng example sa teammates ko para from there makita nila na gustong-gusto talagang naming manalo,” she said in Filipino.

Laure and Tolentino led Choco Mucho with 16 and 15 points, respectively, while Rondina-Rosales added eight. Maddie Madayag and Jewel Encarnacion also had eight points apiece.

Akari faces unbeaten Nxled on Thursday before closing its elimination round against winless ZUS Coffee on Nov. 17. Choco Mucho, also 3-3, meets Creamline on Thursday and PLDT on Nov. 19.