Chargers getting in groove, claim a third victim in Solar Spikers
It took a village for Akari to recover from a 0-3 start, as coach Tina Salak banked literally on all of her players—who all have the same passion to win.
Chen Tagaod was one of the bench players who stepped up, delivering 12 points, including the big hits in the second set, to help the Chargers recover from a flat start and ditch the Bella Belen-led Capital1 side, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-17, for Akari’s third straight win in the 2026 PVL All-Filipino Conference on Saturday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
“Actually, it’s not just about Chen … it’s all of them,” Salak said in Filipino. “It’s a big factor for me when players are able to contribute, even if it’s just single-minute appearances.
“If we don’t try, nothing will happen. We won’t know the result if I don’t put them in those situations,” she went on. “So whatever materials I have, that’s what we’ll work with. Of course, I’m happy when they trust me because we’re starting to see the results.”
Tagaod, who backstopped main gunners Ivy Lacsina and Eli Soyud, said her breakout game was a result of her coaches and teammates bringing out the best in each other.
“For me, it really comes from the work we put in during training,” Tagaod, who was also one of Salak’s main guns at Far Eastern in the UAAP, said. “ That’s one of the things that has helped me—the push from my teammates and coaches.
“Even before, we already knew what coach Tina is like,” added the 10th overall pick. “She really pushes her players. That’s something I hold on to, from college until now. It should help me more because I need to play with more maturity now, especially since this is already a different level of competition.”
Akari rose to joint fourth with Choco Mucho after climbing to a 0.500 card and the Chargers now have a strong chance to enter the qualifying round for the first two semifinal berths and avoid the play-in.
