Akari’s Annie Mitchem named PVL Player of the Week for October 9 to 18

The Akari Chargers have launched a dream campaign in the 2025 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference, winning both of their matches to stay unbeaten in Pool B alongside ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles.

Fueling Akari’s early surge is standout import Annie Mitchem, who has made an immediate impact in her PVL debut. The 31-year-old American delivered a stunning 33-point performance to help the Chargers secure their first-ever victory over powerhouse Creamline Cool Smashers. She followed it up with a 17-point, 15-dig outing in a thrilling five-set win against the Chery Tiggo Crossovers.

Mitchem’s back-to-back standout performances earned her PVL Press Corps Player of the Week honors for the period of October 9 to 18. The award, voted on by sportswriters from print and online media covering the league, saw her edge out fellow imports Eli Rousseaux (Farm Fresh), Anna DeBeer (ZUS Coffee), Sasha Bytsenko (Capital1), as well as local stars Savannah Davison (PLDT) and Brooke Van Sickle (Petro Gazz).

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“I’m really happy and proud of us because this team is really good,” said Mitchem. “This feels like some of the leagues I’ve played in before in Brazil and Indonesia. The crowd is big and really interactive. The fans are screaming, so it’s fun. I enjoyed it a lot.”

AMPLIFYING ANNIE ⚡

Annie Mitchem scores the game-winning point in the fifth set, securing the victory for the Akari Chargers over the Creamline Cool Smashers in Pool B of the 2025 Reinforced Conference.#PVL2025 #TheHeartofVolleyball pic.twitter.com/pXcnPmc1b4

— One Sports (@OneSportsPHL) October 11, 2025

Mitchem credited her strong start to Akari’s structured pre-game preparations and the camaraderie she’s developed with her teammates.

“I think just going to practice and being with everyone is really helpful. Just enjoying our time while practicing makes a big difference,” she added.

Despite Mitchem’s dominance, Akari head coach Tina Salak emphasized the need for local players to step up and share the scoring load if the team hopes to go deep into the tournament.

“Yun ‘yung goal namin—na tulungan ‘yung import namin to make points,” said Salak. “Kailangan hindi lang kami nagre-rely kay Annie. We also have to rely on our locals to produce and provide points.”

The Chargers will look to extend their perfect start when they face the Petro Gazz Angels on Thursday, October 23, at the FilOil EcoOil Arena in San Juan.

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