Akari had to dig deep in reaffirming its mastery over Galeries Tower, 21-25, 25-19, 20-25, 25-16, 15-11, to draw the first blood in their best-of-three quarterfinals series on Saturday, March 15, in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Chargers kept their composure in the crunch and banked on the offensive onslaught of Ivy Lacsina and Eli Soyud to move one win away from booking a semifinal ticket seat.

Lacsina was explosive from start to finish, torching the net with 22 kills including a crosscourt attack that sealed the two-hour, seven-minute match in their favor. She was equally solid on the defensive end by posting six of the team’s eight blocks to finish with 28 big points.

Akari also drew strength from Soyud, who poured 18 of her 19 points on attacks, as well as Michelle Cobb, who distributed the ball well and managed with 21 excellent sets.

Soyud said their ability to adjust in critical situations played a big role in their victory.

“Yung end-game adjustments namin, yun yung nakapag-recover samin, lalo na sa second and fourth set,” said Soyud.

“Ambilis ng plays ng Galeries, so pinukpok namin sa depensa, tapos nag-adjust talaga kami sa blocking,” she added.

Back-to-back kills from Galeries Tower cut Akari’s lead to only one, 11-10, in the deciding frame but the Chargers remained unfazed as Lacsina teamed up with Fifi Sharma in scoring four of the last five points to secure the victory.

Veteran Grethcel Soltones also shone for the Chargers with 10 points, while Sharma and Camille Victoria combined for 11 points.

Four players from Galeries Tower scored in double figures, with Jewel Encarnacion and France Ronquillo posted 18 and 17 points, respectively, but lost its steam late in the game when Akari became more aggressive at the front line.

Ysa Jimenez and Roselle Baliton also scored 13 and 11 points in a losing effort for the Highrisers, who still have a chance to keep their bid alive in Game 2 on Thursday, March 20.

Later in the day, Choco Mucho crawled back from a two-set deficit to turn back PLDT, 20-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 18-16, to also inch closer to a semis appearance.

Sisi Rondina carried the fight for the Flying Titans by erupting for 31 points, overshadowing the 25-point effort of Savi Davison for the High Speed Hitters.

The high-flying Rondina highlighted her performance with 29 attacks, including that hard-hitting spike that sealed their win following a gruelling two-hour, seven-minute contest.

Royse Tubino also made her presence felt by coming off the bench and sizzling with 20 points, 17 coming from kills, even as Isa Molde chipped in 11 points.

The Flying Titans seek to secure the Final Four spot in Game 2 of their best-of-three series on Thursday, March 20.