Akari stared at an impending defeat straight in the eye and said: Not today.

The Chargers saved three match points to fend off PLDT in a dramatic come-from-behind, 25-22, 18-25, 22-25, 26-24, 17-15 victory in the knockout semifinal of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference Saturday at the sellout Mall of Asia Arena.

American reinforcement Oly Okaro tallied a personal tournament-best 39 points to carry Akari to its heart-stopping 10th straight win in as many outings to move within a victory from claiming the franchise’s first-ever championship.

The Chargers will play the survivor between Creamline and Cignal, playing as of press time, in the winner-take-all final on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Okaro outdueled Russian counterpart Lena Samoilenko, unloading 35 kills and four kill blocks, while Akari’s locals led by Ivy Lacsina and Gretchel Soltones outplayed the High Speed Hitters at crunch time, to a first-ever appearance in a PVL title round.

The Chargers seemed to benefit from a lull late in the match following a controversial net touch challenge by PLDT. The challenge, which dragged on for quite some time, effectively disrupted the High Speed Hitters’ momentum just as PLDT had moved to match point, 14-13, on an Erika Santos through-the-block hit.

During the ensuing tense rally, PLDT halted play, calling for a net violation against one of the Akari players. However, the first referee denied the claim, ruling it a non-violation since it did not interfere with the play (FIVB Rule 11.3.2), allowing the Chargers to extend the highly-emotional match.

When play resumed, PLDT momentarily regained control with Fiola Ceballos scoring off Kamille Cal’s block. But Soltones, showing her signature clutch play, stepped up with an off-the-block hit to tie the score once more, then delivered a powerful kill to push Akari to match point.

PLDT set up a final counter for Samoilenko, but her backrow attack slammed into the net, igniting wild celebrations among the ecstatic Chargers and their supporters.

The High Speed Hitters, on the other hand, were left to grapple with another failed bid after three attempts at the finals.

“So many emotions right now,” a teary-eyed Okaro said as she tried to process the mind-draining two-hour, and 45-minute victory, where she and Lacsina emerged as the game’s best players.

Okaro, with her sights set on leading the team to greater heights, drew the needed support in the clutch from Lacsina and Soltones, who finished with 19 and 16 points respectively.

Soltones added 12 excellent digs to spike another superb all-around performance.

“It’s unreal. I’m feeling so many things right now,” added Okaro, reflecting on the intensity of the match.

“We’re going to keep preparing and training tomorrow (Sunday). We’re ready, we’re hot, we’ve got the energy, so let’s see what happens.”

Lacsina, for her part, was just relieved to finally draw closer to her dream of winning a crown.

“It’s been so tough, especially being new to the team and everything that has happened in the past few weeks. This wasn’t easy,” said Lacsina, who transferred to Akari from its sister team Nxled during the off season.

With his entire bench responding to every challenge, coach Taka Minowa was able to confidently shuffle his lineup, especially in the last two sets. The Chargers demonstrated not just their resilience but also their fighting spirit, rallying from 1-2 set down with a strong finishing kick in the fourth and in Set 5, which PLDT controlled, 12-9.

Samoilenko finished with 30 points, while Santos and Ceballos backed her up with 15 and 14 points, respectively.