The University Athletic Association of the Philippines will re-introduce the use of the challenge system for the coming Season 85 of the much-anticipated volleyball tournament set to open on Saturday, 25 February at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Tournament commissioner Michael Verano announced that the league will implement the video challenge starting in the second round – the first time the UAAP will use the innovation since the pandemic-cancelled Season 82 in March 2020.

"We'll start with the challenge system in the second round. The reason for this is the availability of the actual system. There are other leagues and tournaments ongoing in the first quarter, and the UAAP is the last to have a season," Verano said on Wednesday during the tournament press conference at the MOA Arena.

"But we will have it in the second round. There will be two challenges per set," he added.

Aside from the challenge system, the league will also revert to its pre-pandemic game protocols and traditional pre- and post-match courtesies.

"We're going back to a pre-pandemic set of protocols. Shaking hands, high-fives, switching around courts per end of sets, etc. It's all pre-pandemic,' Verano said.

Meanwhile, women's champion National University braces for a dogfight when it begins its title-retention bid against Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday.

"We expect this season to be tougher and more exciting," Lady Bulldogs head coach Karl Dimaculangan said.

NU will come into the season carrying the momentum of its flawless campaign in Season 84 where it completed a 16-game sweep to end a 65-year title drought.

The Lady Bulldogs also swept the 2022 Shakey's Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship, making the squad the consensus team-to-beat.

However, Dimaculangan wants to take it one game at a time and not put too much pressure on themselves.

"The team's mindset right now is not how we will defend the crown but how we will improve our skills and gameplay," he said. "We're focused on our day-by-day."