A change of scenery brought out the best in Erika Santos.

In her debut season with the Cignal HD Spikers, the 25-year-old opposite hitter finally broke through, capturing the 2025 PVL On Tour Most Valuable Player award on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

Santos had long shown glimpses of potential during her time with PLDT, but it was in Cignal colors that she flourished as a primary scoring option. She emerged as the preliminary round’s leading scorer with 87 points — built on 78 attacks, six blocks, and three aces — tying veteran Petro Gazz spiker Myla Pablo.

Beyond sheer volume, Santos also proved her efficiency by topping the spiking charts with a 37.50% success rate, cementing her rise from a secondary contributor into a reliable go-to weapon.

Joining Santos among the awardees were some of the PVL’s most decorated names. Myla Pablo and Alyssa Valdez reinforced their status as enduring forces in the league after being recognized as the Best Outside Spikers of the tournament.

The 31-year-old Pablo matched Santos in scoring (87 points) and finished in the top 10 in both spiking (33.19%) and blocking (0.56 per set), earning her fifth Best Outside Spiker citation. Valdez, 32, remained as steady as ever, ranking 10th in scoring with 69 points while collecting her record ninth Best Outside Spiker award after placing among the top 10 in spiking, serving, and receiving.

Farm Fresh standout Trisha Tubu continued her steady ascent, clinching her third Best Opposite Spiker award after finishing fifth in total points (77), third in spiking efficiency (36.16%), and 10th in blocking (0.50 per set).

In the middle, Creamline’s Jeanette Panaga and PLDT’s Majoy Baron took home the Best Middle Blocker honors. Baron led all blockers with 0.81 per set, while Panaga ranked second with 0.79 per set. The recognition marked Baron’s third career award and Panaga’s impressive seventh.

Meanwhile, Creamline’s Kyle Negrito secured her fourth Best Setter award, topping the playmaking charts with 6.74 excellent sets per set and finishing fourth in aces (0.42 per set). On defense, PLDT’s Kath Arado bagged her fourth Best Libero award, once again dominating in both digging (5.38 per set) and receiving (63.16% efficiency).