IT’S all systems go for the PVL’s biggest and longest season yet.
In less than a day’s time, the country’s one and only professional volleyball league returns with the All-Filipino Conference to kick off the 2024-25 season.
Here’s all you need to know and look out for as PVL action goes underway for its eighth season and fourth as a pro league.
Longest conference yet
There won’t quite be a PVL conference as long as the forthcoming All-Filipino wars.
Competition will run for almost half a year starting Nov. 9 to Apr. 12, with a near-month-long Christmas break in place from Dec. 15 to Jan. 17.
As PVL commissioner Sherwin Malonzo bared in the league’s press conference, there could be a maximum of 103 games played from the start of the elimination round all the way to a potential Game 3 finish in the best-of-three finals.
The restructured league schedule was designed to align with the FIVB’s international calendar of play to avoid significant overlaps with national team tournaments.
New and expanded tournament format
While the preliminaries remain a single-round robin, the rest of the tournament will look a bit different.
There will be two additional phases before the playoffs begin.
A qualifying round will feature a series of knockout matches for the first six quarterfinals spots.
The last two places will be determined through a play-in tournament which will split the six qualifying round losers into two groups of three.
The eventual pool winners will complete the playoff cast that’ll duke it out in a best-of-three quarterfinal round, a single-round robin semifinal stage, and a best-of-three championship and bronze medal series.
Grandest prize of all
A trophy and the league title won’t just be the ultimate reward for the eventual champions of the league’s longest conference yet.
Whoever wins the PVL title this conference will represent the Philippines in the all-new 2025 AVC Champions League for Women in Korea next May.
The champion team will be allowed to tap 2 foreign guest imports for the 12-team Asian tournament with a $50,000 cash prize up for grabs.
All expenses for the champion team’s Korea trip will be covered by the PVL.
PVL on tour
Pending further changes, the provisional tournament schedule will feature multiple out-of-town trips for the first time in nearly a year.
In the opening month alone, Antipolo will host back-to-back PVL game days on Nov. 16 and 19 before the league returns to Candon City in Ilocos Sur on Nov. 23.
A fortnight later will see the PVL’s sought-after return to the Queen City of the South as Cebu once again becomes part of the PVL calendar on Dec. 7.
The final provincial stop for the time being remains in Visayas as Passi, Iloilo will stage the final day of prelims play on Feb. 22.
Changes to PVL officiating
As announced by AVC and PNVF president Ramon 'Tats' Suzara, a handful of changes to PVL refereeing will take effect in the new PVL season.
Veteran international referee Yul Benosa will be appointed as the referee delegate to guide PVL officials in interpreting and enforcing league rules.
Moreover, international referees will be at the helm in every PVL match for this season.
Foreign, non-Filipino referees from neighboring nations will be tapped to officiate matches in the PVL semifinals and finals for impartiality.
Video challenge results will be conveyed by a mic’d up first referee who'll explain his or her decision-making in real time for TV and online viewers and for the perusal of everyone in the game venue.
Returning veterans
Speaking of comebacks, two familiar faces and longstanding pillars of the sport will see action in the PVL again after their respective leaves of absences.
Former Cignal stars Rachel Anne Daquis and Jovelyn Gonzaga are back in the fold, albeit separated across two on-the-rise sister teams.
The decorated GonzaQuis duo was acquired by business tycoon and sportsman Frank Lao’s Strong Group Athletics stable during the offseason.
But it’ll be Gonzaga donning ZUS Coffee blue on one end and Daquis with longtime HD Spiker Jheck Dionela repping Farm Fresh orange.
At least for the time being, there won’t be an ex-Cignal trio reunion for the Foxies as the league barred Fil-American playmaker Alohi Robins-Hardy’s direct entry as a free agent.
Post-injury comebacks
A few more on-the-mend stars are set to brighten up a stacked PVL field upon completing their recoveries from various injuries.
Leading the way is Creamline’s star duo Alyssa Valdez and Tots Carlos who both dealt with knee issues and ruled them out from the last two conferences of their Grand Slam campaign earlier this year.
In addition, PLDT will soon welcome back its Fil-Canadian hotshot Savi Davison who was sidelined under similar circumstances with the aforementioned Cool Smashers pair.
And after an extended wait, star spiker Kianna Dy is expected to don PLDT red for the very first time since the now-defunct F2 Logistics’ disbandment last year.
One thing to note, however, is that there are yet to be definite timetables for all of their comebacks.
But do expect them back, bar any late setbacks, at some point this season.
Transfers and new additions
It has been a busy two-month offseason for the PVL in terms of player movement.
As it stands, 10 players have either jumped ship or returned to join a new PVL team.
Half of all these player acquisitions were made by ZUS Coffee, who added Gonzaga, Chai Troncoso, and its sister team Farm Fresh’s trio of Kate Santiago, Chinnie Arroyo and Joan Narit.
Apart from Daquis and Dionela’s Farm Fresh transfer, also making moves in the offseason are Jules Samonte (Chery Tiggo), Trisha Genesis (Capital1), and Anj Legacion (PLDT).
Most recently, longtime Creamline ace Risa Sato is set to leave the champion squad for her yet-to-be named new home.
Leadership changes
Three PVL teams will have new head coaches onboard for the new season.
National University’s champion mentor Norman Miguel will embark on his first PVL head coaching stint with Chery Tiggo, replacing another UAAP tactician in Kungfu Reyes.
Two foreign coaches also parted ways with their clubs after a pair of one-conference stints.
Benson Bocboc will take over as interim Farm Fresh head coach, replacing Japanese coach Shota Sato.
Meanwhile, Nxled is swapping one foreign head coach for another as veteran Italian coach Ettore Guidetti will now call the shots in place of Chinese mentor Chen Gang.
Renewing rivalries
From new rivals to marquee matchups, the 2024 PVL season had it all.
And expect nothing short of the same this time around.
The most controversial PVL match in recent memory will be relived right after the Christmas break as Akari and PLDT square off on Jan. 18.
Fresh off Philippine volleyball’s first-ever grand slam, five-peat seeking Creamline will renew its rivalries with Petro Gazz (Nov. 16), sister team Choco Mucho (Dec. 3), and its last two title challengers Akari (Nov. 23) and Cignal (Feb. 1).
A few more sister-team showdowns will also unfold over the course of the next four months, including Farm Fresh-ZUS Coffee (Dec. 5), Akari-Nxled (Jan. 23), and PLDT-Cignal (Jan. 28).
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