ONE more team from the Philippine Super Liga (PSL), and possibly a second one, is set to make the jump to the rival Premier Volleyball League ahead of the sport's long-awaited return to competition amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sources told SPIN.ph that Chery Tiggo, one of the longest-tenured teams in the PSL as the Foton Tornadoes, is set to join PLDT, Cignal and Petro Gazz in the exodus to the rival league in time for the scheduled start of the PVL's tournament in May.
Chery Tiggo has yet to make a formal announcement but teasers were seen on Twitter on Sunday.
Another PSL ballclub, Sta. Lucia, is in exploratory talks to make the switch to the PVL, too, sources said. But SPIN.ph learned that officials are holding off on any announcement until an agreement is formalized.
Once completed, the expected transfers are bound to cast doubt on the future of the PSL, which was founded in 2013 as a semi-pro commercial league that along with the pioneering PVL gave standouts a chance at a playing career post college.
Following the transfer of PLDT and Cignal to the PVL and sabaticals taken by Petron, Generika-Ayala and Marinerang Pilipina, only four teams remained in the cast of the 2021 PSL All-Filipino Conference which the league planned to launch on April 21.
Those four teams already included Petro Gazz, which already moved to the PVL but agreed to take part in the PSL beach volleyball tournament as well as in the PSL All-Filipino Conference, both times as a guest team.
A Chery Tiggo transfer will make the tournament hard to pull off, unless new teams enter the PSL fold.
In contrast, the PVL is guaranteed 10 teams when it opens its new season, with Creamline, PetroGazz, BaliPure, Choco Mucho, UAC Lady Power Hitters, Perlas and new club Peak Form joining PLDT and Cignal.
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