The Akari Chargers kept their push toward a Qualifying Round berth alive, shaking off a slow start to beat the Capital1 Solar Spikers, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17, in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference late Saturday at the FilOil Playtime Centre.
After dropping the opening set, the Chargers tightened their defense and found their rhythm on offense, sweeping the next three frames to complete the 1-hour, 52-minute victory. The win marked Akari’s third straight after opening the conference with three losses and lifted the team into a tie for fourth place with the idle Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the race for the Top Four.
Ivy Lacsina led the Chargers with 19 points, while Chenie Tagaod provided a spark off the bench with 12 markers, delivering key hits in the middle sets as Akari slowly seized control of the match.
Akari Defense Focuses on Bella Belen
Akari also focused its defense on slowing down Bella Belen, limiting the league’s most prolific scorer to her first sub-20-point outing in seven matches. Belen still finished with 24 points but received little help from her teammates, as none of the Solar Spikers reached double digits. Sydney Niegos was held to eight points, while Shaya Adorador chipped in nine.
Libero Justine Jazareno anchored Akari’s defensive effort, tallying 17 excellent digs to earn Best Player of the Game honors while repeatedly keeping rallies alive against Capital1’s attacks.
“We worked hard for this. At hindi p’wede na bumaba ang energy ng team kasi mas lalo lang kaming mahihirapan,” Jazareno said. “I’m super happy for the team, kasi lahat nagtutulong-tulong.”
The Chargers erased an early 2-5 deficit in the fourth set behind a key run from Grethcel Soltones, who scored three straight points to help push Akari ahead. Capital1 threatened after trimming the gap to one, but a timely timeout halted the surge.
Akari then unleashed a decisive 4-0 run to pull away, with Belen’s long backrow attack eventually sealing the Solar Spikers’ fate.
