PVL: Ivy Lacsina relishes playing vs crowd favorite Choco Mucho

Choco Mucho Flying Titan’s Deanna Wong and Akari Chargers’ Ivy Lacsina during a PVL Reinforced Conference game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Ivy Lacsina made sure to keep her focus when she faced her partner Deanna Wong and crowd favorite Choco Mucho in the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference on Tuesday at Philsports Arena.

Playing against the fan favorites and setter Wong, Lacsina finished with 10 points and 12 excellent receptions to backstop Oly Okaro’s 38-point explosion in Akari’s come-from-behind 18-25, 16-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13 win over Choco Mucho to stay unbeaten in two games in Pool B. 

“For me, I prefer having a crowd because it feels better to play that way. I’m still focused on the game, on what the coach instructs, and on what needs to be done on the court—that’s really the focus,” said Lacsina. “The crowd just adds to the fun of playing.”

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The 6-foot-1 outside spiker admitted she had a hard time scoring in the match, bu  her teammates helped her get her act together.

“The opponents are also studying us. They know how I move because they are veterans. I just told myself that if I couldn’t attack, I need to focus on defense and passing because that’s what we really need,” Lacsina said.

“It was hard, but we really worked hard on the game, especially my teammates, because they helped me when my game was a bit off.”

Lacsina, the newest Charger, is happy to help the franchise earn its best start since joining the league two years ago. However, she believes the Chargers still a work in progress and they will be tested again defending champion Petro Gazz (1-1) on Saturday at 3 p.m.

“We’re just going to keep working and improve on what we need to improve,” she added.