Lacsina, Sharma light up Akari

MANILA, Philippines — After losing its first three games, Akari claimed its second straight win at the expense of Cignal, 25-23, 20-25, 11-25, 25-23, 15-12, yesterday in the PVL All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Arena.

Ivy Lacsina and Fifi Sharma were at the center of it all, firing 20 and 16 points, respectively, including crucial ones in the deciding fifth set when the Chargers showed poise in improving their slate to 2-3.

“It was a challenge for us to come back from a bad set,” said Sharma, who also teamed up with Lacsina in forming an impenetrable wall up front by combining for seven blocks.

“But gradually, we regained momentum and we showed we can bounce back from a bad set,” she added.

That ability was relatively absent in the franchise’s first three outings where it easily got sidetracked and didn’t have much resilience in rallying back.

But everything started to come to fruition after it stunned sibling rival Nxled in a four-set win Tuesday. Akari rode on that momentum to get through this one.

It was a stinging defeat for the Super Spikers, who appeared headed to victory when they seized a 2-1 set upper hand.

The Manny V. Pangilinan franchise stumbled in the end and absorbed its second defeat against four wins.