Nxled became the first to clinch a semifinal berth and have a top two finish in sight in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series.
The Chameleons turning back the Akari Chargers, 27-25, 25-22, 26-24, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Thursday to stretch their unbeaten run to six matches.
Nxled showed its composure under pressure, rallying from a 21-24 deficit in the opening set before holding off Akari’s challenges in the next two frames to complete the sweep.
With its semifinal berth secured, Nxled turns its attention to Creamline, which it faces Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena, in a crucial bid to secure a Top Two finish and the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
There were injury scares for both teams. Jonah Escamillan hurt her left knee while attacking midway through the third set. Akari’s Ivy Lacsina hit the back of her head against an advertising board while chasing a dig late in the frame.
With Nxled leading, 20-18, after a 6-2 run following Escamillan’s injury, Akari fought back behind Fifi Sharma’s quick attacks to take a 23-22 lead.
Gel Cayuna scored on a clever 1-2 play for a 25-24 lead before setting up EJ Cariño for the match-clinching hit.
‘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,’ said Brooke Van Sickle.
Van Sickle led Nxled with 10 points, while MJ Phillips, Myla Pablo and Cariño added nine apiece.
The Fil-American spiker also continues to develop her left-handed attack, which she worked on 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.
Phillips and Pablo also anchored Nxled’s net defense, combining for seven of the team’s 12 blocks as the Chameleons held a 12-7 advantage in that department. Both teams finished with 48 attacks.
Soyud paced Akari with 16 points, followed by Ced Domingo with 10. Sharma, Nisperos and Lacsina contributed six apiece as the Chargers dropped to seventh at 3-4 but remained in the semifinal hunt.
The victory followed Nxled’s straight-sets win over Capital1 last weekend, keeping the Chameleons firmly on track for a strong finish to the elimination round.