Nxled sweeps Akari, claims first PVL semifinal berth

Games Saturday, Nov. 14
PhilSports Arena

1 p.m.: Galeries Tower vs. PLDT
3:30 p.m.: VNS vs. AEP (Spikers’ Turf)
6 p.m.: Capital1 vs. Farm Fresh

Nxled became the first team to reach the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series semifinals after sweeping sister team Akari, 27-25, 25-22, 26-24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday.

The victory extended the Chameleons’ unbeaten run to six games and left six other teams competing for the remaining three Final Four berths.

Nxled rallied from a 24-21 deficit to take the opening set, then held off Akari in two more close frames to complete the sweep.

The match featured injury scares for both teams in the third set.

Nxled’s Jonah Escamillan hurt her left knee while going for an attack, while Akari’s Ivy Lacsina hit the back of her head against an LED board as she chased a ball late in the set.

Escamillan went down with Nxled trailing 16-14, but the Chameleons responded with a 6-2 run to take a 20-18 lead.

Akari fought back as setter Mars Alba repeatedly found Fifi Sharma on quick attacks, producing three points, including one that put the Chargers ahead 23-22.

Gel Cayuna blocked Eli Soyud before Shiela Pineda scored on a dig that sailed over the net and dropped in Zone 1, prompting Lacsina’s chase toward the LED board.

Alba and Sharma connected again to save a match point, but Cayuna answered with a second-ball attack for a 25-24 Nxled lead.

Cayuna then set up EJ Cariño, whose attack deflected off Faith Nisperos and out of bounds to end the 1-hour, 39-minute match.

“We just stuck it out together. Akari is a very hard team for us to play. They’re very good in defense and blocking and a very scrappy team, so we communicated early and just had to stay resilient and very patient as the game went on,” Brooke Van Sickle said.

“I’m very proud that we stuck to it and didn’t care about what the score was,” she added.

Van Sickle led Nxled with 10 points and earned Best Player of the Game honors.

The Filipino American hitter also showed her left-handed attack, a skill she developed while recovering from a right shoulder injury.

“After my shoulder injury, being able to participate in training meant using my left so I could still join practice. So it was a lot of time hitting balls against the wall with my left. I just love to play so much that I don’t want to separate myself from it,” she said.

MJ Phillips, Myla Pablo and Cariño contributed nine points apiece, while Jackie Acuña and Escamillan added six each.

Both teams scored 48 attack points, but Nxled held a 12-7 advantage in blocks, with Pablo contributing four and Phillips three.

Soyud led Akari with 16 points, while Ced Domingo added 10.

Sharma, Nisperos and Lacsina scored six points each for the Chargers, who dropped to seventh at 3-4 but remain in semifinal contention.

Cayuna and Alba each recorded 17 excellent sets, while Alba outscored her Nxled counterpart 4-3.

The win followed Nxled’s straight-sets victory over Capital1 last weekend.

The Chameleons will next face Creamline on Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena as they pursue a top-two finish and a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.