Charger Alba goes one-up over Jia and remains perfect against Cool Smashers
More than anything, Akari setter Mars Alba was honored to go head-to-head with Alas Pilipinas and Creamline setter Jia De Guzman for the first time in her career, with the four-set win pulled out by the Chargers on Thursday night in the PVL All-Filipino Conference, the icing on the cake.
Facing the eight-time PVL Best Setter, Alba was a sight to behold in orchestrating the offense on the other end for the Chargers, coming up with 18 excellent sets in a 25-21, 26-24, 17-25, 25-21 win that halted the Cool Smashers’ five-game winning streak at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
“I’m very happy because it’s the second time I’ve faced Creamline and the second time we’ve won,” Alba said in Filipino. “But last time (De Guzman) didn’t play. I’m really happy because her setting is unpredictable, so our blocks had to be tougher, so we really had to work for it.
“I’m just glad that everyone worked together for this win.”
Alba also spelled the difference when Akari earned its first franchise win against Creamline in five sets on Oct. 11 in the Reinforced Conference.
Pulling off a win against a 10-time champion certainly wasn’t easy, but the former La Salle setter made sure to keep herself focused and her teammates together through her playmaking.
“We already expected that Creamline is a very mature team. Even when we were up two sets, we knew we couldn’t be sure about winning the next one,” said Alba. “That’s why we kept reminding each other, both the coaches and the players, that since the opponent is experienced, we have to come back on the court even more focused because they will definitely try to fight back.”
After a sluggish 0-3 start, Akari is now in solo fourth place with a 4-3 record, capping a four-game winning streak against the league giant.
Alba owes their surge to the patience and perseverance of every member of the team, including the management.
“We’re really working on all the aspects that can help improve the team,” she said. “I’m happy because the team moved well and stayed together even through the difficult moments on the court.”
