FULLY LOADED: Okaro powers Akari past Cignal

Akari staged a huge fight back from a set down to shock Cignal, 15-25, 25-17, 25-19, 25-22, in the battle of unbeaten teams to complete a sweep of Pool B in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference Tuesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

American import Oly Okaro once again towed the Chargers in the right direction for their fifth straight victory in as many games.

The hard-hitting winger unleashed 24 points, pounding 22 kills with an ace and a kill block to lead Akari to its franchise-best start.

The Chargers quickly regrouped after a 10-point loss in the opening frame with Okaro rallying her team back in the next three frames backed by Ivy Lacsina and middle blocker Ced Domingo.

“Actually, it was a slow start. Every time, we would lose the first set, then we would rise. That’s what we need to work on differently because if we keep on doing that, we just make it high intensity when we can win at 3-0,” Akari’s Japanese coach Taka Minowa said.

“It’s just extra minutes for us.”

The win put the Chargers in the top three of Pool D in the second round where they will carry over their record against the bottom three teams from Pool A in another round-robin format.

Lacsina finished with 14 points including 12 from spikes while Domingo had 10 points and accounted for four of Akari’s 12 kill blocks.

Grethcel Soltones scored eight points and was active on floor defense with 19 excellent receptions and 11 digs for the Chargers.

After building confidence in the second and third frames, Akari raced to a 16-7 lead in the fourth.

The HD Spikers tried to mount a late charge but Akari was ready to keep them at bay to close the two-hour, 11-minute encounter.

Cignal absorbed its first loss after a dominating its first four outings. Despite the defreat, the HD Spikers will also land in Pool D in the next round.

Venezuelan MJ Perez was the lone Cignal player in double digits with 24 points — all from kills.

Riri Meneses had nine points while Ces Molina got eight in a lost cause.