Surprising Akari ready for ‘non-stop work,’ bigger PVL goals

After becoming the lowest-seeded PVL team in seven years to claim a podium finish, the Akari Chargers feel ready to challenge the league heavyweights

MANILA, Philippines – After another podium finish, it’s clear that Akari has turned into one of the fast-rising programs in the Premier Volleyball League.

So the players, coaches, and team management intend to be ready for bigger things ahead.

“Of course, it’s non-stop work for us because our goal is to make it to the podium, but what we really want is to win the gold,” Akari star Ivy Lacsina said in Filipino. 

“We’ll just take a break for a while, but after that, it’s back to the drawing board.”

Akari pulled off a surprise third-place finish in the All-Filipino Conference, climbing their way up from the seventh seed.

In winning their bronze-medal series against the favored Choco Mucho, the Chargers became the lowest-seeded team to land in the podium in seven years, or since Banko Perlas did it back in 2018.

“We showed our fighting spirit. We showed that we deserve to be in the top four teams even if we came from rank seven. That was our target,” said Akari head coach Taka Minowa after the team’s bronze medal-clinching 25-15, 26-24, 26-24 win over the Flying Titans.

“For us, of course, this is a very big achievement,” added Lacsina. “Last year we had Oly (Okaro, the import), so this time we had to work doubly hard….all the blood, tears, we really gave everything. So now, we’re so happy.” 

Last year, the Okaro-led Chargers, owned by the Akari Lighting and Technology Corp, finished runner-up in the Reinforced Conference, serving notice to the rest of the field.

But even with an all-Filipino crew, the Chargers proved that their stellar performances were no fluke with Lacsina, Eli Soyud, Grethcel Soltones, and Ced Domingo all stepping up in their playoff run.

Add to that the sight of Petro Gazz toppling the dynastic rule of Creamline in the finals, Akari players feel more motivated to get back to work and resume their quest for their first-ever PVL title.

“We obviously have a lot of improvement. For sure, entering the conference, everyone wants to get in the championship,” said Minowa.

“For sure, that’s usually a process to become a better team. Everything is a process.” – Rappler.com