Sherwin Malonzo was laser-focused lining up for a perfect flick to roll his marble into a dug-up hole in the dirt when his classmate and best friend asked if he would like to join Ateneo de Manila University’s volleyball club.

He was in third grade then.

With nothing else exciting to do on a lazy afternoon, he obliged.

Little did he know that it would be the start of his colorful journey in the sport, eventually bringing him to an important position in the country’s first and only women’s professional volleyball league.

The Premier Volleyball League (VL) commissioner exudes an aura of excitement and energy each time he oversees matches each playdate.

An ever-accommodating and jolly PVL official, the 49-year-old Malonzo was all smiles recalling how he ended up in the 20-year-old league.

“Sir (PVL president) Ricky (Palou) at (PVL chairman) Sir Tony (Liao) took me in as a statistician. So, I’m a pioneer here,” Malonzo told DAILY TRIBUNE.

The former University of the Philippines volleyball varsity was appointed tournament director, which technically is the designation of a commissioner, last year when the league was streamlining its officers for the growing PVL family.

It was a much-deserved promotion for the hardworking man who saw the league’s growth from a school-based tournament in 2004 to an amateur commercial league and then to its pro elevation during the pandemic era in 2021.

Malonzo was there from the then Shakey’s V-League’s inception, its rise, and into becoming one of the country’s most popular sports spectacles rivaling that of basketball in terms of popularity and crowd draw.

Knowledgeable in computers and crunching numbers, Malonzo got his break as a statistician when the country hosted the FIVB Grand Prix, now known as the Volleyball Nations League, in 2002.

“The problem back then was the original statistician was out of the country. So, what happened then was Sir Tony and coach Louie Gepuela sent me and a companion to Thailand to study the stats of FIVB in preparation for the Grand Prix,” Malonzo said.

“So, we were sent there to study and train. A month later we were deployed as statisticians for the Grand Prix,” added Malonzo, who back then was in his third year as head coach of the struggling Ateneo men’s team.

Then when the group of late former Philippine Basketball Commissioner Jun Bernardino, late long-time basketball official Moying Martelino, Palou and Liao formed the V-League they tapped Malonzo to take care of the statistics side.

But Malonzo wasn’t just a statistician, his dynamism and fresh outlook for the budding league earned him the trust of the big bosses especially Martelino.

In fact, the organizing Sports Vision consulted him when it came to scheduling, bracketing and pairings of teams that would make each tournament interesting.

The V-League catered to fans’ hunger for volleyball action outside the collegiate ranks. It found a home in ABS-CBN’s Sports+Action in 2016 where it was given a wider reach with games being carried live.

“Eventually, the league evolved. Actually, the Premier Volleyball League when we were brainstorming someone suggested calling it the Philippine Volleyball League. But the problem back then was it was already copyrighted,” Malonzo bared.

“So, me and Sir Cito (Martelino), well it just popped out in my mind, ‘Why not use Premier since we want to be the top (volleyball league)?’ I was a part of that brainstorming which came up with the league name. It evolved into what it is now.”

For Malonzo, taking the role is very challenging but admits that the transition is seamless considering he already knows the ins and outs of running the league.

“Well through experience with the work since the time when Sir Moying was still around and up to now it’s the same. I think the difference now because of my position is that I have a free hand to implement the ideas.”

“Since I was appointed commissioner, I have kept exploring new ideas and views to improve the player experience, the fans’ experience and make sure that all stakeholders are happy. We try to improve the game because as we know participating teams have put considerable investment in their teams so we try to maximize their involvement.”

One of the biggest innovations under Malonzo’s watch was the first-ever Rookie Draft that drew interest from fans before the start of the 2024 season.

It wasn’t just a simple proceeding, the PVL made it big as a formal event that saw aspirants come to the event all dolled up which added glitter and production value to Draft.

“Sir Ricky wanted to have one. So, I formed a team to implement it. I told Sir Ricky, ‘We can’t do drafting alone. Drafting is just a part of being a professional league but we also need to develop our constitution, disciplinary regulations and the like.”

“Since I took over as commissioner, too many ideas are coming in and I’m excited to implement that.”

On a personal note, the league also bore witness to his biggest feat — his wedding proposal to his wife, Astrid, back on 13 February 2005.

“It happened during the La Salle-UST championship. I was in cahoots with coach Ramil (De Jesus) and coach August (Sta. Maria) and Michelle Carolino, who handed her the flower bouquet. Then all the players were throwing flowers. Kaya malaki utang na loob ko kay coach Ramil. Kung hindi baka di kami nagkatuluyan ni misis,” he said.

Looking back, Malonzo said he has no regrets about joining his best friend Joel Aquino, who passed away in 2008, in trying out for Ateneo’s volleyball club.

He got to play competitive volleyball for the Blue Eaglets until high school, the national youth squad along with now National University coach Norman Miguel, Babes Castillo and University of Santo Tomas tactician Odjie Mamon, before suiting up for the Fighting Maroons under decorated mentor Sammy Acaylar and eventually Vip Isada.

“The love of the sport never diminished. But my original plan after graduation was to take a civil service exam. Then try to enter the DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) and after a while take my MBA at Stanford, go back here and eventually work abroad. Those were the plans back then,” the BS Economic graduate said.

But fate planned a different and more interesting path for Malonzo.

“I graduated in 1998. Back then Assumption San Lorenzo was looking for a coach so I said I’d take the coaching job since I still didn’t want to work back then,” he said.

“The San Lo college team never reached the finals but I was able to steer them to the WNCAA (Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association) championship in my first year of coaching although we lost to Lyceum. But that time I was kind of enjoying the adrenaline rush of coaching. Parang sahod ko nga nu’n TY (thank you) lang. Umuuwi ako ng Marikina then pupunta ako ng Makati to San Lo. Although I’m doing it just for the love of it.”

He resigned in 1999 and handled the Blue Eagles until 2006 to 2007.

“In 2007 I told Sir Ricky (who was Ateneo’s athletic director back then) that I’m resigning, he told me not to because he needed help so he appointed me as (volleyball) program head,” Malonzo said.

Under his leadership as program head, the Ateneo won three women’s titles and three men’s crowns and saw the rise of local volleyball phenoms Alyssa Valdez and Marck Espejo.

Malonzo still leads Ateneo’s volleyball program but fulfilling his duties in the PVL eats up most of his time especially with the ongoing Reinforced Conference.

“We have a lot of things in store for the teams and the fans. We are looking at implementing a new format for the coming All-Filipino Conference as well as introducing offseason activities,” he said.

With Malonzo at the helm, the PVL truly is sailing in the right direction.