The Chargers kept their playoff hopes alive after their win over the Crossovers.
Coming into their match versus the Chery Tiggo Crossovers, the Akari Chargers were in a must-win situation. A loss would take them out of playoff contention.
Armed with motivation, the Chargers claimed a hard-fought victory over the Crossovers in five sets, 16-25, 25-22, 19-25, 25-21, 15-11.
Coach Jorge Souza de Brito expressed joy for the team after they continuously worked hard, but he said that they plan to go for more.
“My team deserved this since before but they trust each other and of course, Chery gave us a lot of reasons to play hard. I'm happy for that, but I'd just like to say we're not satisfied, we'll go for more,” said de Brito.
The win also meant a big deal to Akari star Dindin Santiago-Manabat after facing her former team. She finished with 26 points off 24 attacks, 1 block, and 1 ace.
“Parang ngayon ko lang ulit sila nakasama. Hindi man kami teammates, magkalaban, so 'yun parang nakakakaba na nakaka-overwhelm kasi siyempre ang tagal ko din silang hindi nakita,” said Santiago-Manabat.
Akari's win is not just any victory, as it's an impressive upset over the talented Chery Tiggo squad, who were also looking to bounce back from recent losses.
“Inenjoy lang namin 'yung laro and once nag-eenjoy ako, nag-eenjoy din sila," Santiago-Manabat shared. "And pag-alam nilang gusto kong lumaban, lalaban din sila. And siyempre, gusto na naming manalo. Gusto naming manalo palagi," she added.
The Chargers now improve their record to 2-5 while the Crossovers were dealt their third consecutive loss to drop to 3-3.
Up next for Akari will be another tough match, this time against the Petro Gazz Angels, on Thursday, March 9.
(With reports from Jamie Velasco, One Sports Digital)