AKARI has announced the departures of long-time mainstays Ezra Madrigal and Cams Victoria ahead of the 2026 PVL season, marking the Chargers’ first significant offseason roster movements after closing 2025 with a bronze medal finish in the Reinforced Conference.
Madrigal was among Akari’s pioneering players when the club entered the PVL in 2022 during the league’s import-laden conference that year.
The 5-foot-11 Far Eastern University product anchored the middle for much of the team’s early years.
Her time with the team was also intertwined with one of the league’s most talked-about controversies.
In the 2024 PVL Reinforced Conference semifinals against PLDT, a discarded net-touch infraction involving Madrigal in the deciding fifth set sparked widespread debate, ultimately leading to an overturned protest.
More than a year on, that episode, and Madrigal’s chapter with Akari, has come to a close.
She departs the Chargers with a resumé that includes two bronze medals and a runner-up finish from that same campaign, leaving behind a significant hole in Akari’s middle blocker rotation.
Alas Pilipinas defender Fifi Sharma will now lead the front line, supported by Ced Domingo and incoming sophomore Jamaica Villena.
Chargers change direction
Victoria, meanwhile, joined Akari in 2023 after coming out of the University of Santo Tomas program.
The 6-foot-1 opposite hitter quickly became a reliable right-side option, initially backing up veteran Eli Soyud before forming part of a deeper rotation that later included rising attacker Steph Bustrillo.
With the exits of Madrigal and Victoria, the Chargers signal the start of a new phase under head coach Tina Salak.
Apart from the 2025 PVL Draft, this offseason marks Salak’s first real opportunity to reshape the roster, moving away from a largely intact core as Akari looks to take its next step toward sustained contention in 2026.
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