California Academy puts its title defense in motion against formidable Chiang Kai-shek as the 2024 Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) begins today at the Adamson University Gym main court.

The Antipolo-based squad gears up for a fierce battle in Pool A at 12 p.m., while eight other teams, including University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) champions Adamson University, make their debut on the thrilling opening day of the spikefest showcasing the best high school volleyball programs in the country.

The action-packed day starts with a clash between the Lady Baby Falcons and the University of the Philippines Integrated School in Pool D at 8 a.m., followed by a showdown between La Salle-Lipa and Bethel Academy in Pool A at 10 a.m.

At 2 p.m., last year’s third-place finisher, Bacolod Tay Tung, initiates its quest for redemption against perennial powerhouse University of Santo Tomas in Pool C, while Naga College Foundation and La Salle-Zobel collide in Pool B at 4 p.m.

All eyes are on California Academy in this tournament following its victory in the league’s inaugural edition when it defeated Naga in a thrilling four-set finale.

‘I think all of the teams are ready to fight for the position, and for podium finish, so I see all of them as threats for us.’

“This edition features an incredibly competitive lineup of teams. We’re seeing the best talent from UAAP and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association), alongside top programs from across the Philippines. It’s going to be a real challenge,” said California Academy head coach Obet Vital.

Vital’s team faces a new hurdle this time around as it will be without last year’s Most Valuable Player Casiey Dongallo, Jelaica Gajero, setter Kizzie Madriaga, and libero Grace Fernandez, all of whom are now playing at the collegiate level.

“For us, many of our players from last year have graduated. We’ve welcomed some new faces, and we anticipate two of our key players will depart for college after June 4. So, it’s going to be a tough challenge for us,” Vital acknowledged.

One of the main attractions is Adamson University, which dominated in UAAP Season 86, led by powerhouse outside spiker Shaina Nitura, who is set to compete in her final high school tournament before joining the Lady Falcons.

“I think all of the teams are ready to fight for the position, and for podium finish, so I see all of them as threats for us,” Nitura said.

“But what we’ll do is to work hard and try to win every game.”

Expect fiercer competition as the league expanded with 18 teams from last year’s 16.

Divided into four groups — Potato Corner (Pool A), RnB (Pool B), Peri-Peri (Pool C), and Shakey’s (Pool D) — the teams will engage in a single-round robin preliminaries, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout quarterfinals.

Preliminary games will be decided in best-of-three sets, while the knockout rounds will escalate to best-of-five sets.