Eli Soyud had the hot hand, but the veteran opposite spiker had her eyes on a much bigger prize.
The 5-foot-10 attacker erupted for 30 points to power Akari past Farm Fresh in a five-set thriller on Tuesday, steering the Chargers to their second consecutive victory in the 2026-27 PVL All-Filipino Conference Siklab Series.
Yet, despite delivering one of the most explosive performances of her campaign, Soyud admitted that she was hardly keeping track of her individual numbers. For the 30-year-old, the only statistic that truly mattered was the one that put a win on Akari's record.
“Actually, wala akong idea na umabot ako sa 30 points basta ‘yung akin, manalo kami. ‘Yun ang main goal,” said Soyud after the Chargers clawed their way to a 25-22, 25-27, 22-25, 25-23, 15-12 victory at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.
Soyud finished with 27 attacks, two blocks, and an ace, delivering the offensive firepower Akari needed to overcome a determined Farm Fresh side and improve to 2-2 in the standings.
The victory also pulled the Chargers into a three-way tie with the Foxies and Capital1 for fourth place, giving the team another reason to believe that its campaign is heading in the right direction.
For Soyud, however, the performance was as much about trust as it was about putting the ball away.
The 2025 PVL Press Corps Most Improved Player credited Akari's coaching staff for giving her the freedom to attack without hesitation, even when mistakes inevitably came along the way.
“ Siyempre, ‘yung tiwala na binigay nila sa akin, ‘yun ‘yung pinanghahawakan ko rin. And ‘yung tiwala ng coaches na wala silang ibang binigay sa akin na instructions kundi sige, paluin ko lang, huwag kang mag-hesitate, which is ‘yun din ang sinunod ko,” she said.
That confidence has translated into back-to-back wins for the Chargers, with Soyud emerging as a reliable offensive option at a crucial point in their campaign.
She previously led Akari in scoring with 12 points during its straight-sets upset of PLDT on October 20, helping the team rebound from a difficult start to the conference.
The Chargers opened their campaign with consecutive losses to defending champions Creamline and Capital1, leaving them searching for answers early in the tournament. Rather than allow those setbacks to derail their momentum, however, Akari used the difficult stretch as motivation to sharpen its preparation and rebuild its confidence.
Soyud stressed that the turnaround began long before the team stepped onto the court on game day.
“Mahirap bumangon 'pag sunod-sunod ‘yung talo, so talagang tiyatiyagain namin, especially sa training. Doon talaga ‘yung magsimula, kung paano kami mag-prep, kung paano ‘yung magiging game plan namin pag-abot sa game,” she said.
“Ngayon, nagbubunga na siya at nakikita na ‘yung potential ng team.”
The improvement was evident against Farm Fresh, particularly when the Chargers found themselves needing to withstand the Foxies' challenge in a deciding fifth set.
While Soyud supplied the finishing punch, she was hardly alone in carrying the offensive load.
Ivy Lacsina added 21 points, while Fifi Sharma chipped in 11 to give Akari additional scoring options. Mars Alba, meanwhile, orchestrated the offense with 22 excellent sets and contributed eight points of her own.
The balanced production showed the team's growing potential, with the Chargers showing that they could rely on more than one player when the pressure mounted.
