By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Akari opposite hitter Eli Soyud is among the top performers to be honored in the first-ever Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night on May 28 at the Novotel in Quezon City.
The 5-foot-10 player from Bago City, Negros Occidental will receive the Most Improved Player award after getting 5.4 media votes and 4.8 team votes to beat Creamline’s Bernadeth Pons and Bea De Leon.
Soyud played a key role in the Chargers’ bronze medal finish in the 2024-2025 All-Filipino Conference. She scored a career-high 34 points in a five-set win over Choco Muchi in the semifinals.
Libero Alyssa Eroa of Galeries Tower and Petro Gazz setter Chie Saet will also be feted following their brilliant performances in the country’s first and only women’s professional volleyball league.
The 4-foot-11 Eroa, a product of San Sebastian College-Recoletos, earned the Comeback Player of the Year honors with 8.8 total votes over ZUS Coffee’s Jovelyn Gonzaga, who garnered 8.2 votes.
Three years after her last stint with PLDT during the bubble season in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte, Eroa returned to the PVL in 2024 through Galeries Tower, and was named Best Libero in the Reinforced Conference.
The 40-year-old Saet, on the other hand, was named Miss Quality Minutes for helping the Angels in their 2024-2025 All-Filipino Conference championship run.
She had a total of 14.4 votes, 8.4 from the media and 6.0 from the teams, to beat Cignal’s Judith Abil and Choco Mucho’s Royse Tubino for the award. (PNA)
