Vanie Gandler Named All-Filipino MVP

Vanie Gandler capped off a breakout season by being named Most Valuable Player of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference, a fitting conclusion to her exceptional campaign that saw her lead Cignal back into title contention.

The Super Spikers' resurgence was largely driven by Gandler’s consistent performances, guiding the team to a second-place finish in the eliminations with a 6-3 record and securing their first Finals appearance in two years.

In her third season in the league, the 25-year-old outside hitter finished among the top scorers, amassing 209 points by the close of the semifinals cutoff. Her total came from 182 attacks, 17 kill blocks, and 10 service aces, showcasing her versatility as an offensive threat.

Gandler’s impact went beyond just scoring. She posted a 31.93% spiking efficiency, ranked seventh in service with 0.23 aces per set, and had a 36.59% reception efficiency, highlighting her all-around value for Cignal throughout the conference.

Young star Bella Belen from Capital1 and Nxled’s Brooke Van Sickle also received accolades for their outstanding individual performances. Belen earned her first Best Outside Spiker award along with Rookie of the Conference honors, while Van Sickle continued her dominance, claiming the position award for the third time.

Belen finished third in overall scoring with 218 points, including 199 attacks, eight blocks, and 11 aces, even though Capital1’s campaign ended in the play-in stage. She ranked fourth in spiking efficiency (35.16%), fourth in serving (0.31 aces per set), second in reception efficiency (40.84%), and sixth in digging (3.06 per set).

Van Sickle, showcasing her well-rounded skills, placed seventh in scoring with 175 points. She had a 33.12% attack success rate, ranked third in reception efficiency (40.71%), and contributed 0.22 aces per set.

Farm Fresh’s Trisha Tubu was named Best Opposite Spiker for the fifth time after dominating the scoring race with 251 points, including 216 attacks, 30 blocks, and five aces. She also led all attackers in efficiency at 41.70% and ranked sixth in blocking with 0.60 blocks per set.

Creamline’s Pangs Panaga extended her legacy with a 10th Best Middle Blocker award, leading the league in total kill blocks with 37 and ranking second in blocks per set at 0.76. ZUS Coffee rookie Riza Nogales made an immediate impact, topping the league in blocks per set (0.80) and finishing fourth overall with 28 total blocks.

Cignal’s playoff push was further bolstered by Gel Cayuna, who earned her fifth Best Setter award after averaging 4.48 excellent sets per set and leading all setters in aces with 0.34 per set.

Defensively, PLDT’s Kath Arado solidified her reputation as one of the league’s most dependable floor defenders, earning her sixth Best Libero award after ranking second in digs with 4.71 per set.