Ivy Lacsina’s towering presence has served as a beacon of hope for Akari.
When the Chargers needed someone to lift them from an early slump in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference, the 6-foot-2 winger stepped up big time to help the squad get a complete turnaround from a 0-3 start.
Lacsina’s consistent production powered Akari to four straight wins to propel the Tina Salak-mentored squad to a 4-3 win-loss record in solo fifth spot and just within striking distance of the top four.
She displayed another stellar performance as the Chargers scored a morale-boosting, 25-21, 26-24, 17-25, 25-21, victory over Creamline on Thursday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
Lacsina dropped 20 points on 18 attacks, one block, and an ace to help Akari snap the Cool Smashers’ five-game winning run and boost its chances of finishing the preliminary round inside the top four, a favorable route to the first two semifinals seats up for grabs in the qualifying round.
For her pivotal role in the Chargers’ surge, Lacsina was unanimously chosen as the PVL Press Corps Player of the Week presented by Pilipinas Live for the period of 10 to 14 March.
Crediting her coaches’ guidance, the San Fernando, Pampanga native kept her emotions in check to steer Akari to only its second franchise win over the 10-time league champions.
“It’s the guidance of the coaches. They are the ones who remind us to keep calm when our emotions get a bit high. They are the ones who manage that,” the 26-year-old star spiker said.
Despite the wins, Lacsina is keeping herself grounded, saving space for new lessons as she sets her sights on bigger goals this conference.
“As I always say in my previous interviews, I always save space for new learning even if things go my way. I always keep that in mind because I want to achieve something,” said Lacsina, who also earned her second citation in the all-local tilt of the country’s first and only women’s professional volleyball league.
Lacsina and the rest of the Chargers have an inside track to preserving their streak as they face reeling Galeries Tower on Tuesday at the Santa Rosa Complex in Laguna, followed by a faceoff against Farm Fresh on 21 March to conclude the preliminaries.
Meanwhile, the brightest names in Philippine volleyball are set to collide in a celebration of star power as standouts from the PVL and Spikers’ Turf take center stage in the Volleyball All-Star Showcase on 1 May at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur.
For the women’s showcase, the PVL All-Star Game will bring together the league’s finest as Team Heart and Team Hustle go head-to-head, assembling a constellation of stars from the country’s pioneering professional volleyball league.