Akari-Rizal eyes outright WMPBL semis berth in rematch vs Batangas-NZ Bluefire

Akari-Rizal aims to secure an outright semifinal berth, while Batangas-New Zealand Bluefire seeks sole possession of the top spot as two of the league’s heavyweights clash on Sunday in the 2026 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League at the Uratex Showroom in Muntinlupa.

Despite sitting atop the standings, the Sparks enter their 6 p.m. showdown against the Valkyries with caution—and plenty of motivation for revenge.

Akari-Rizal holds a 7-1 record, with its lone defeat coming at the hands of Batangas-New Zealand in the first round, a 72-56 setback on April 29.

“We’ll play Batangas, back-to-back hard games so hopefully, we have not beaten Batangas so far, hopefully it’s gonna be a different result,” said Sparks head coach Derrick Pumaren after their narrow 52-48 escape over Biñan-Tatak Gel last Wednesday.

Allana Lim, Mar Prado, Raiza Palmera-Dy, and Janine Pontejos are expected to lead Akari-Rizal’s push for an automatic semifinal berth in the league backed by Aktive.

The top two teams at the end of the elimination round will earn outright semifinal berths, while the third- and fourth-ranked squads will carry a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals against the fifth- and sixth-seeded teams.

Meanwhile, the Valkyries are looking to replicate their first-round victory over the Sparks as head coach Cholo Villanueva reminded his squad not to let its guard down.

“We’re playing Akari so I’m sure they’re gonna be ready for us but we’ll make sure that we cover all our bases and hopefully, come out with a win against a very formidable team,” said Villanueva as Batangas-New Zealand goes for its sixth consecutive victory.

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Khate Castillo, Snow Peñaranda, and Afril Bernardino will try to power the Valkyries to a league-best 7-1 record and outright possession of first place.

In the 4 p.m. curtain-raiser, Biñan-Tatak Gel will try to keep its outright semifinal hopes alive when it takes on struggling Caloocan.

The Angels, who carry a 5-3 record, need to win their remaining games and hope for favorable results in the final elimination-round outings of both the Sparks and the Valkyries.

Biñan-Tatak Gel dominated Caloocan in their first-round meeting, cruising to a 102-67 victory.