Prisilla Rivera and Akari Power Chargers won their last match at the PVL Reinforced Conference. – PHOTO of PVL
MANILA, Philippines — Prisilla Rivera dedicated herself to ending Akari’s first Premier Volleyball League season successfully.
The Dominican scorer who scored 32 points while Akari was also running stunned Kalei Mau-less F2 Logistics, 25-21, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22, in the 2022 PVL Boost Conference on Tuesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Rivera made 29 kills and three interceptions, including big hits in the fourth set that gave them the win, preventing the Cargo Movers from getting any closer to the semi-final berth.
The three-time Olympic champion scored four of her five mutant attempts to give Akari a 23-20 lead in the fourth inning. But Lindsay Stalzer’s miss and an error by Rivera cut the advantage to 23-22.
Rivera stopped bleeding from the back row to score the match, 24-22, then Stalzer’s strike as the ball went out.
“She’s not happy that we didn’t get (the win) in the first place to make it into the top four. But of course, she’s happy to have had the opportunity to come here and compete,” Rivera said in Western. Spanish translated by Akari’s coach Jorge Souza de Brito. “She’s almost 38 so she’s very proud to still play at this level.”
Janine Marciano and Erika Raagas gave Rivera a lot of support as they each scored 8 points while the latter scored 4 blocks, while Jho Maraguinot and Ezra Madrigal added 6 points.
Setter Jaja Maraguinot made an outstanding 19 sets with four points from two aces, while libero Rachel Jorvina defended the ring with 21 excellent dugs and 12 excellent tackles as Akari finished the tournament with a record of 3. -5.
“Of course, it’s always a good win and I’m happy for that. Being the youngest is always a challenge but we are entering this league with so many opportunities,” said De Brito after finishing his first PVL season. “In the end, maybe we got the morale back on this team so in the future we’ll start all over again so I think we’ll be much better.”
F2 Logistics dropped to 3-3 with Choco Mucho and Cignal in fourth place with two semi-finals remaining. Creamline (6-1) and Chery Tiggo (5-2) took the first two, while third seed Petro Gazz (4-2) was just one win away from third place.
Stalzer and Ivy Lacsina led the Cargo Movers with 17 points each as Mau wore streetwear due to calf problems. Kianna Dy has 11 points, while Shola Alvarez fills in with Mau with six points and 11 digs.
Dawn Macandili had 24 digs and 16 takes in a losing attempt. F2 Logistics needs to win its last two games against Cignal on Saturday before wrapping up the knockout round against Petro Gazz next Tuesday.
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