PVL: Eager to prove worth, Grethcel Soltones plays key role for Akari
Akari Chargers’ Grethcel Soltones during the PVL All-Filipino Conference quarterfinals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Grethcel Soltones felt relieved to overcome the gritty Galeries Tower, led by her former teammate Alyssa Eroa, in a tight quarterfinal series in the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference.
Soltones stabilized the Chargers in the fifth set to eliminate the HighRisers with another come-from-behind win, 19-25, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 15-12, on Thursday night at Philsports Arena.
HIGHLIGHTS: PVL All-Filipino quarterfinals – Choco Mucho vs PLDT, Akari vs Galeries
The veteran outside spiker lauded Galeries’ defense anchored by Eroa, her San Sebastian and BaliPure teammate.
“It felt so good because it was really hard to get the ball past them, especially Eroa, who really leads the defense. So, whenever I got a point against her, we would just look at each other and smile,” said Soltones, who had 13 points, in Filipino.
“I think the sacrifice we make for each other is important. We have to stay focused on training, knowing that everything we’re doing will pay off.”
READ: PVL: Faith Nisperos ‘fulfilled’ as she helps Akari to semifinals
Soltones was also eager to make up for lost time after missing the latter part of the preliminary round due to a minor knee injury.
“I felt like I had something to prove to myself since I just came back. I needed to push myself and make sure I could sustain the fatigue, especially since I’m still getting back into form,” she said.
The three-time NCAA MVP helped Akari enter the semifinals despite finishing as the seventh seed in the preliminary round with a 5-6 record.
“I told Coach Taka (Minowa) that as a player, I want to make it to the top four. I told him that we can’t expect too much because we started off with losses. So, our mindset is just to keep improving—every training, every game, we get better,” she said.
