IN a historic first for the PVL, two separate tournaments will be staged on the same day.
The Invitational Conference opener between defending Japanese champion Kurashiki Ablaze and Thailand’s EST Cola is scheduled at 1 p.m. on Wednesday.
READ: Akari begs off from PVL Invitational citing injuries
It will then be followed by the Reinforced Conference battle for third between PLDT and Cignal at 4 p.m. before Creamline and Akari’s one-game title match at 6 p.m.
All three matches will take place at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Champions and newcomers alike
Kurashiki's second PVL stint will be an all-important primer to the young champion team's upcoming campaign in the unified Japan SV.League.
And standing at the forefront of their PVL championship defense are 2023 Invitational Conference Finals MVP and captain Kyoka Ohshima and ace libero Kaoru Takahashi.
While EST Cola isn't new to the Philippine volleyball scene after previously winning the now-defunct Philippine Superliga (PSL) Invitational Conference in 2016, it'll be a new cast the Thai club will field in its PVL debut: the country's under-20 national team.
Two former mainstays of Thailand's powerhouse women's national team will call the shots for EST Cola in head coach Wanna Bukaew and lead deputy Pleumjit Thinkaow.
The promising pair of foreign guest teams will battle it out with a trio of PVL clubs in Creamline, Cignal and Farm Fresh over the next week.
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