The Akari Chargers pulled off a thrilling five-set victory over the PLDT High Speed Hitters, 15-25, 25-23, 21-25, 26-24, 20-18, to bag the bronze medal in the 2025 PVL Reinforced Conference that concluded on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
A Tight Thriller for a Podium Finish
Early on it appeared as if PLDT would earn a podium finish with a rousing first-set victory, where Savi Davison and company delivered a command performance. But Akari charged up just in time in the second set, evening things up with import Annie Mitchem and her squad showing their grit.
With the match at 1-1, Akari and PLDT went toe-to-toe in the next three sets, culminating in a thrilling fifth set that saw 12 deadlocks, five lead changes, and a whole lot of drama and momentum-shifting plays. Nastya Bavykina then put PLDT on the hill one final time at 18-17, only for Jovie Prado to surrender a mis-serve to open the door for the Chargers.
Given a new lease on life, the Chargers responded with grace under pressure as Ced Domingo fired a rocket that eluded PLDT’s defense to nudge Akari ahead, 19-18. Eli Soyud, who was struggling all match long, then finished the job with a shot that clipped the net first before landing harmlessly on the floor — just out of the reach of Bavykina.
Fitting Send-Off for Akari’s Annie Mitchem
Akari’s reinforcement, Annie Mitchem, led the way with a match-high 36 points in yet another offensive explosion for the American in a conference full of spectacular matches for her. Post-match, Mitchem said she had the “best time” playing with the Chargers, and that their bronze-medal war of attrition against PLDT was “one of the best.”
“This is one of the best games for the bronze battle,” said Mitchem, who added 12 excellent receptions to her offensive outburst. “It was super tight the whole time. I’m so glad we could win. We were literally on the edge of our seats the whole time — that was really excitin… Playing with these girls… I’ve had the best time. This is one of my favorite seasons, and I’m just happy to be here.”
The rest of the Chargers made sure Mitchem would have a proper send-off, with Grethcel Soltones backing her up with 14 points of her own and Ced Domingo adding 9, including the kill that got Akari to match point. Fifi Sharma delivered 8 points, while Eli Soyud had 6.
Davison led PLDT with 30 big points of her own, followed by Bavykina’s 28 and Dell Palomata’s 11. Their efforts, however, were not enough against Akari’s inspired play and steady finish.
