Daily Tribune
A ROUND-ROBIN format once caused heartache to Alyssa Valdez and Creamline. Now, would they allow the PVL to impose it in all conferences? | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF PVL
The Premier Volleyball League is leaning toward implementing a round-robin semifinals format in all of its conferences for the coming 2024 season.
PVL president Ricky Palou told DAILY TRIBUNE that the league wants to maximize the exposure of teams aside from putting a little more spice in the race for the finals seats.
"That's what we want but we still have to talk with the teams," Palou said.
The league and team managers of participating clubs will hold a meeting in early January to talk about some adjustments in the season calendar, the first-ever rookie draft as well as other rules including the competition format.
In the past two seasons of the league, only the mid-season Invitational Conference consistently applies the round-robin format to accommodate the foreign squads which are automatically seeded in the semifinals.
The All-Filipino Conference semis runs in a best-of-three series. Only the 2022 Reinforced Conference implemented the round-robin format.
"I think this time around we will enforce it," Palou said.
The format adds more excitement in the semis as all teams will have clean slates regardless of their record in the elimination round and beyond that.
Teams will play with a sense of urgency each time as each match point earned, set won or lost, set ratio and set-point ratio, would count in case of a tie for the top two spots in the finalists.
"The (semifinals) games get more exciting if we implement a round-robin format. It also gives teams more exposure because if we play round-robin they are assured of three games compared to the usual best-of-three which could end in just two games," Palou said.
"We will explain it to them."
Decorated team Creamline was the favored squad to win it all during the 2022 Reinforced Conference but missed the championship round when it won in five sets — instead of just three or four — over Chery Tiggo.
Despite the win, the Cool Smashers yielded one crucial matchpoint as it ended the round with just five points compared to eventual champion Petro Gazz and Cignal, which both earned six.
Palou also bared that they are also looking at using a double-round robin eliminations for the first conference that is yet to be determined.
"We'll meet with the team and decide if we'll push through with an import-laden conference or go ahead with another All-Filipino Conference," he said.
