AKARI dealt Chery Tiggo its first loss in the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday, hacking out a 25-20, 18-25, 25-22, 25-20 victory in Antipolo City.
Dindin Santiago-Manabat rediscovered her old form with 21 points on 16 attacks, four blocks, and one ace as Akari caught Chery Tiggo at 2-1 (win-loss) in the single-round eliminations.
“Nagkaroon kami ng pagkakataon pag-aralan sila one-by-one and alam namin na inaral din nila kami, pero mas nanaig lang ‘yung pagkagusto namin na manalo,” Manabat said.
“Sinabi sa’min ng coaches na patience lang, tiyaga, at bawal kaming manggigil. Naging composed lang kami dahil gusto naming manalo talaga,” she added.
With Akari and Chery Tiggo neck and neck on offense, the Chargers boosted their case on defense with 14 blocks in just four sets.
And after surrendering Set 2, Manabat & Co. kept their composure to outlast a star-laden Crossovers side in the last two closely-contested sets.
