Santiago-Manabat goes on attack spree as Chargers sweep Solar Spikers

MANILA, Philippines – There was a reason why Akari took Dindin Santiago-Manabat as its first, and arguably the biggest, star when it ventured into the Premier Volleyball League a year ago.

Thursday was a grim reminder of how lethal a weapon Manabat is after she went on an attacking rampage in saving the day for the Chargers in a 25-17, 25-14, 25-20 victory over the Capital1 Solar Spikers at the PhilSports Arena that kept them in the PVL All-Filipino Conference semifinal hunt.

The towering, long-limbed 30-year-old spiker unloaded a 25-point effort she laced with 20 booming kills, three rock solid blocks and two torpedo-like service aces as Akari claimed its fourth win against five losses and stayed in the tight semis race.

It was also Manabat who turned things around when Capital1 repeatedly and gallantly fought back and made it close at the start of every set.

In fact, when the Solar Spikers erased an 8-12 deficit and turned it into a 13-12 edge in the third set, Manabat came through with a spike that knotted it and somehow sparked the decisive run that sealed the deal.

Asked about her heroics, Manabat said there was really no secret except to play relaxed.

“Enjoy lang every point,” she said.

Grethcel Soltones, another of Akari’s bevy of stars, took care of most of the dirty work as she chipped in nine hits while anchoring the team’s floor defense with team-highs 14 digs and nine receptions.

Interestingly, Soltones’s all-around brilliance came at the expense of his former mentor, Akari coach Roger Gorayeb.

While it was a straight-setter, the Solar Spikers valiantly fought back specifically in the third set when they unleashed seldom-used Janica Lana, who poured in most of her eight-point effort in that set including in one stretch when they seized a 13-12 advantage.

It didn’t last long though as Manabat came to be.

Fifi Sharma and Faith Nsiperos scattered eight hits apiece.

Capital1 fell to 1-8.