‘Learned’ Lacsina and Chargers ready for giant clash with Cool Smashers
Ivy Lacsina continues to shine as Akari’s main offensive option, translating all her learnings from different successful programs to become a rising star in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Lacsina unleashed a career-high 30 points and 27 excellent receptions in the Chargers’ escape of Choco Mucho in a nail-biting play-In game, 25-15, 23-25, 25-16, 15-25, 21-19, on Saturday night at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.
The 26-year-old outside spiker simply didn’t want to let her team down, delivering the telling blows in the fifth set before Eli Soyud nailed the game-winning ace.
“I just (made the most of) the trust given to me by my coaches and teammates,” Lacsina said in Filipino. “I also wanted to play with heart. We knew Choco Mucho would be a tough opponent, so we really pushed ourselves and kept fighting.”
The former UAAP champion with the National University program is putting into use all the lessons and rich experience she got from her collegiate program before she went on to play for the defunct F2 Logistics and under Japanese Taka Minowa for Nxled.
“I try to carry everything I’ve learned from the different systems I’ve experienced. I won’t take those for granted,” she said. “This conference, I want to grow more. Not just for myself, but for the team as well.”
The 6-foot-1 spiker has been Akari’s leading scorer and is in the league’s top seven with 144 points off 127 spikes, 10 blocks and seven aces. She’s also ninth in receptions with 32.37 percent efficiency.
With the Chargers’ backs against the wall, Lacsina wanted to win it for her teammates, who worked back from a 0-3 start and are now looking to survive the play-in to enter the round robin semifinals.
“Even if we feel the intensity of the game, we have to stay calm. If we let emotions take over, that’s when we make mistakes,” said Lacsina.
“It really came down to trusting each other. At that point, there were no more adjustments to make,” she said of the close finish. “Coaches had already given everything. So we just relied on one another in every point, every play. I’m really thankful and grateful to my teammates and coaches.”
Lacsina and the rest of the Chargers brace for another fan favorite in 10-time champion Creamline as they dispute a semifinal berth on April 7.
“As long as we can, we’ll keep fighting, we’ll keep working hard,” she said. “Whatever we prepared for this game, we’ll double it. We’ll be mentally and physically ready for the next game.”
