Eli Soyud, Alyssa Eroa, and Chie Saet will join other standout performers as honorees in the first-ever Pilipinas Live PVL Press Corps Awards Night on May 28 at Novotel.
The trio will receive special citations in recognition of their remarkable performances across the last three conferences of the country’s premier women’s professional volleyball league.
Soyud, who found a new home with Akari, proved her worth by emerging as one of the team’s go-to scorers, earning her the Most Improved Player award in the formal ceremony presented by Arena Plus.
The 5-foot-10 opposite hitter from Bago, Negros Occidental, was a key figure in the Chargers’ rise, especially after import Oly Okaro led them to a silver finish in the 2024 Reinforced Conference.
Following Okaro’s departure, Soyud stepped up to help Akari clinch a bronze medal in the 2024–25 All-Filipino Conference.
One of her most unforgettable performances came during the semifinals of the historic six-month-long AFC, where she delivered a career-high 34 points in a thrilling five-set victory over Choco Mucho.
Despite stiff competition, Soyud pulled away in the voting, thanks largely to overwhelming support from her peers. She edged out fellow Most Improved Player finalists Bernadeth Pons and Bea De Leon of Creamline, finishing with 5.4 media votes and 4.8 team votes — double the total of her closest challenger.
(C) PVL Images
Meanwhile, Eroa’s inspiring journey — from nearly walking away from volleyball to becoming one of the league’s premier liberos — earned her the Comeback Player of the Year award.
The 4-foot-11 defensive ace returned to the PVL in 2024 with Galeries Tower, three years after her last appearance with PLDT during the bubble season in Bacarra, Ilocos Norte.
She made an immediate impact with the Highrisers. Even during a winless Reinforced Conference campaign, Eroa stood out, bagging the Best Libero award for that tournament.
She served as the heart and soul of the Galeries squad, helping them reach a breakthrough quarterfinal appearance. The Highrisers stunned No. 3 seed Cignal in the qualifiers before falling short against Akari in their first playoff outing.
Eroa narrowly edged out ZUS Coffee’s Jovelyn Gonzaga for the award, tallying 8.8 total votes to Gonzaga’s 8.2. The San Sebastian College-Recoletos alumna garnered a dominant 7.2 votes from media, which offset her lower 1.6 team vote count.
PLDT’s Savi Davison was the other nominee for the award.
(C) PVL Images
Finally, Saet was named Miss Quality Minutes for her clutch contributions when Petro Gazz needed her most.
The 40-year-old veteran setter played a pivotal role in the Angels’ championship campaign during the 2024–25 AFC, taking over as the primary playmaker in the postseason.
Saet ran away with the award after amassing a total of 14.4 votes — 8.4 from the media and 6.0 from the teams — clearly outpacing fellow nominees Judith Abil of Cignal and Royse Tubino of Choco Mucho.
