Akari Chargers’ Oly Okaro in the PVL Reinforced Conference. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Oly Okaro tied the season-high 38 points and the fifth top-scoring record in a single game in the PVL but she believes that she “could do better” for the Akari Chargers in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
The American opposite spiker poured in 33 kills, three aces, and two blocks to will Akari back from two sets down and take down Choco Mucho in five sets, 18-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13, on Tuesday at Philsports Arena.
Okaro tied Creamline’s Tots Carlos’ 38-point outing in the All-Filipino, which is the fifth all-time single-game scoring record behind record-holder Prisilla Rivera, who erupted for 44 points with the Chargers last 2022 followed by Kia Bright’s 41 for Perlas Spikers, Michelle Strizak (40) of Pocari, and Tess Rountree (39) of PayMaya.
READ: PVL: Oly Okaro, Akari send Choco Mucho to 0-2 start
“Definitely very proud of how I performed. I know there are also things that I didn’t do very well and that’s something I’m gonna work on more. I just came ready to fight. I knew that there’s no way I’m leaving without fighting, as well as the rest of the team. We all have that same idea in mind.”
With Akari falling behind two sets, the 6-foot-1 spiker made sure to keep herself and her teammates mentally strong to pull off a comeback against the crowd-favorite Flying Titans.
“My mindset was I was still in destroy mode because I was just thinking even if we lost the first two sets, it didn’t mean anything to me. I just really wanted to win. I just wanted to do everything that we could to win,” she said. “
“I just reminded the team that we had a few setbacks coming into this game today just because practices over the last few days, we had a little bit of struggle figuring out practice schedule and stuff… We wanted to fight. I just reminded the team to stay focused and patient because it was going to be a long game.”
READ: PVL: Okaro switches to ‘destroy mode’ for Akari
Okaro coverted the plays entrusted to her by young setter Kamille Cal and support local scorer Ivy Lacsina and most importantly, she kept herself focused amid the strong crowd support for Choco Mucho.
“The crowds were a little bit louder, I would say. They were very active. I would say although they were loud, it’s not something that I haven’t heard before and I’m someone who stays very focused during the games,” she said. “Even though there’s a lot of outside distractions that are around me, I still just try to make sure to internalize and just to stay focused on the next task ahead and stay focused on what I have to do inside the court.”
Akari had its best start in the PVL with a 2-0 record in Pool B since joining the league two years ago, facing a bounce-back-seeking defending champion Petro Gazz (1-1) on Saturday.
Okaro believes that these Chargers are special after pulling off a huge comeback win over Choco Mucho for the first time since Rivera set the scoring record two years ago.
“I would say that this Akari team has a very strong and passionate fighting attitude. Even though we’re down, collectively, we come together. We know that we don’t want to lose this game, at least not go down without a fight,” she said. “Our team is very strong in that sense, mentally. We know our team can get a little bit goofy, sometimes with a lot of dancing. Deep down, I would say the team is very cohesive and has the same goal in mind.”