Veteran winger Grethcel Soltones looks forward to the challenge of playing a bigger role for new team Akari when the 2024 Premier Volleyball League wars begin next month.
Soltones signed a deal with the young but promising Chargers side after parting ways with her former club Petro Gazz.
“There’s pressure, of course, but I’m more excited playing alongside new faces. I’m really looking forward to our campaign and to what I could bring to the team,” Soltones told DAILY Tribune on Thursday, 4 January.
The club formally announced Soltones’ recruitment last Wednesday as Akari joined the aggressive arms race heading into the yet-to-be-announced season-opening tournament set on 17 February.
Soltones’ arrival would give the Chargers additional firepower as she will be joining hands with high-scoring rising star Faith Nisperos and a reunion with seasoned opposite Dindin Santiago-Manabat, whom she played with in the national team during the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.
A vital cog during Petro Gazz’s 2022 Reinforced Conference title conquest, Soltones’ experience and leadership will add maturity to Akari, which is looking for a breakthrough podium finish.
The Chargers finished seventh place with a 5-6 win-loss record in the 2nd All-Filipino Conference to end the 2023 PVL season.
“I don’t want to make promises. I’ll just show it on the court by going all-out and contributing to the team,” the 2022 Reinforced Conference Finals Most Valuable Player said.
The three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association MVP from San Sebastian College is also excited to work with squad composed of a good mix of youngbloods and veterans.
“I think I’m going to improve more with this team,” the versatile open spiker said.
“For me, we are all equals in the team. I don’t think too much of our age gap or me being a veteran because I know I still have a lot to learn even from my younger teammates.”
Akari, which has yet to name a replacement for resigned coach Jorge Souza de Brito, is making big moves for its fifth tournament since joining the league in 2022.
The Chargers are also set to welcome middle blocker Ced Domingo, who has parted ways with Creamline, according to a source privy to the transaction.
Domingo currently plays in Thailand and will be available to hook up with Akari in late February.
