Stepping up was an understatement as Bernadeth Pons emerged as the leader of an undermanned Creamline team, earning the 2024 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference Most Valuable Player award.
The 27-year-old outside spiker from Talisay, Negros Occidental impressed not only with her offensive prowess but also showcased her defensive skills, ultimately securing the league’s most prestigious individual accolade.
At the end of the quarterfinals, which determined the award winners, Pons stood out as the second-best local scorer with 147 points. She accumulated these through 136 attacks, six aces, and five blocks.
Additionally, the Far Eastern University product ranked second in receptions with an impressive 45.61 percent efficiency rate and sixth in digging with 3.06 digs per set.
This recognition marks Pons’ first award in the PVL, following her recent transition to the Cool Smashers and the league in July 2023, after a period focusing on beach volleyball.
(C) PVL Images
Pons took home the Finals MVP award as well.
She finished with 19 points on 14 attacks and five service aces to go along with 13 excellent receptions and 12 excellent digs in the 25-15, 25-23, 25-17 victory over Akari in the title match.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, MJ Perez was honored as the Best Foreign Guest Player.
Perez played a pivotal role in leading Cignal to a 7-1 record in the preliminaries and advancing past Capital1 in the quarterfinals.
The Venezuelan import accumulated a total of 229 points through the quarterfinals, ranking ninth in the best spikers race with a 34.38 percent success rate. Furthermore, Perez placed seventh in aces with 0.26 per set.
(C) PVL Images
Leading the PVL Premier Team are Best Outside Spikers Brooke Van Sickle of Petro Gazz and Grethcel Soltones of Akari.
Van Sickle excelled as the top local scorer with 196 points, ranking sixth overall in the league. Her impressive performance also included leading in service (0.48 per set), ranking sixth in spiking (36.02 percent success rate), eighth in digging (2.85 per set), and ninth in reception (37.5 percent efficiency rate).
Soltones, in contrast, was 16th overall in scoring with 111 points but made notable contributions in service (0.27 per set) and reception (41.12 percent), earning her fourth Best Outside Spiker award.
(C) PVL Images
The Best Middle Blocker titles went to PLDT’s Majoy Baron and Capital1’s Des Clemente.
Baron led the league in total blocks with 23, tied with Nxled import Meegan Hart, and averaged 0.64 blocks per set. She also emerged as the highest-scoring middle blocker with 77 points, marking her second such recognition.
Clemente, enjoying a career revival with the Solar Spikers, was the third-highest-scoring middle blocker with 73 points. She also ranked fifth in blocks with 19 total and an average of 0.56 per set.
(C) PVL Images
Trisha Tubu earned the Best Opposite Spiker award by accumulating 123 points, the highest among local opposites. She also led in efficiency among local spikers with a 36.77 percent success rate.
Rounding out the Premier Team were Cignal’s Gel Cayuna and Galeries Tower’s Alyssa Eroa.
(C) PVL Images
Cayuna, who bagged her fourth Best Setter award, averaged 4.69 excellent sets per set and ranked in the top 50 scorers with 53 points, including 30 attacks, 13 aces, and 10 blocks. She also placed second in service with 0.37 per set.
(C) PVL Images
Despite the Highrises’ winless conference, Eroa was a standout for the Highrisers, leading the league in receptions with a 47.83 percent efficiency rate and ranking fourth in digging with 4.09 per set.
Finally, Shar Ancheta of ZUS Coffee was awarded the first-ever Rookie of the Conference award, highlighting a promising start to her career.
(C) PVL Images
