Okaro powers Akari charge

Oly Okaro has been the difference-maker for the surging Akari in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference.

The American import showcased her scoring prowess in the Chargers’ last two games, dropping a couple of 30-point outings against fancied rivals to keep their tight grip on the top spot in Pool B.

The 28-year-old winger was at the forefront of Akari’s reverse-sweep victories over Choco Mucho and three-peat-seeking Petro Gazz for their franchise-best start in the PVL after going undefeated in three matches.

Her 38-point explosion in the hard-earned 18-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13 victory against the Flying Titans matched the league’s fifth-highest single-game scoring output set by Creamline’s Tots Carlos in the 2024 All-Filipino Conference last March.

Such strong showing on the offensive front earned Okaro the conference’s second PVL Press Corps Player of the Week award presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of 23 to 27 July.

Her brilliance outshone Cignal’s MJ Perez, Capital1’s Marina Tushova, and Choco Mucho’s Royse Tubino as she received the unanimous vote from online, broadsheet and tabloid reporters covering the professional volleyball league streamed live and on-demand via the Pilipinas Live App and www.pvl.ph.

It didn’t take long for Okaro to make an encore of her masterclass as her 31 markers led Akari to a 23-25, 21-25, 25-23, 29-27, 16-14 comeback victory over the skidding Angels.

Even as Okaro had the lion’s share of points three games into pool play, the 6-foot-1 opposite hitter refused to take all the credit for Akari’s surge.

“Ever since I got to this team, I already noticed there are a lot of standout players. I don’t have to name them, you can already see. Coming in, I was already like, ‘Wow, the team here is really strong,’” Okaro said.

“Usually, when you have imports, everyone just assumes the import is the only strong player. But here in Akari, we have a lot of strong players so it really helps to ease the load off of me.”

A chance to strengthen the Chargers’ grip on the lead in Pool B awaits on Tuesday against the winless ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles before duking it out with also perfect Cignal.