IF further proof is still necessary to justify Philippine volleyball's meteoric rise, consider how May 5, 2024 went down across both college and pro ranks.
On Sunday, the UAAP and Premier Volleyball League (PVL) staged semifinal double-headers at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City and the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, respectively.
READ: UAAP Finals without La Salle or Ateneo is rare; Finals without RDJ quite odd
As confirmed by both leagues, UAAP action which saw University of Sto. Tomas overcome twice-to-beat Far Eastern University in the men's Final Four and dethrone defending champion La Salle in the women's Final Four racked up 19,505 fans — the tournament's highest crowd turnout in Season 86 to date.
Over in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference, a 17,834-strong crowd witnessed sister teams Creamline and Choco Mucho setting up a rematch of last conference's record-breaking title series at the Big Dome after outlasting Chery Tiggo and Petro Gazz, respectively, in the star-studded match billing.
In total, 36,889 volleyball fans were in attendance for the concurrent playoff matches — a staggering number still expected to rise in the next few weeks come the championship rounds of both leagues.
On the same day, the PBA held a double-header at the 6,000-capacity Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila that featured Barangay Ginebra.
No attendance figures were released for the playdate.
Just five months ago, Game Two of the 2023 PVL Second All-Filipino Conference finals between Creamline and Choco Mucho drew the biggest-ever crowd for an indoor volleyball match in Philippine sporting history with 24,459 fans present to witness the Cool Smashers lift a league-best seventh championship.
In 2016, the UAAP recorded its biggest-ever crowd for a women’s volleyball match in Game Three of the Season 78 Finals between longtime rivals Ateneo and La Salle at the Big Dome. It was also Alyssa Valdez’ final match in the college ranks, one which ended in defeat.
UST men's volleyball head coach Odjie Mamon, one of the sport's local pillars through years and decades past, was pleased to see how the latest chapter of the storied UST-FEU rivalry was part of a breakthrough crowd turnout on Sunday, citing such a feat as 'good promotion for men's volleyball.'
"Ako, I grew up sa UAAP at tumanda na rin sa UAAP kasi ang volleyball rivalry between UST FEU, talagang circa, 'wag na natin pag-usapan," Mamon said in jest.
"Player pa lang ako, basta UST-FEU, talagang maraming following 'yung rivalry na 'yan. 'Pag naglaro 'yang dalawang (schools), expect na maganda 'yung volleyball na mapapanood. Nakakatuwa 'di ba? Sea of yellow and green. Good promotion for men’s volleyball," he added.
Sunday's massive attendance numbers set a promising precedent for three upcoming international volleyball tournaments in the country over the next year: the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women in May, the 2024 Men's Volleyball Nations League in June and the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship in September next year.
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