Longest ever PVL season looms

Longest ever PVL season looms | Daily Tribune

The highly-anticipated 2024-25 season of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) promises to be one for the books as it marks its longest-ever season of six months with the All-Filipino Conference serving as centerpiece.

This year’s season opener is scheduled for 9 November with a restructured calendar designed to align with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) schedule.

As fans eagerly await the first serve, the spotlight will be on the thrilling main game at 6:30 p.m., where last conference’s finalist, Choco Mucho, begins its redemption bid against Petro Gazz at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Flying Titans will look to turn the page on a tough last season, while the Angels, a two-time Reinforced champion, are equally determined to bounce back after bowing out in the round-robin semifinals the last time out.

Earlier in the day, at 4 p.m., Akari will face off with Galeries Tower. With a revitalized lineup, the Charges are aiming high this season, setting their sights firmly on a championship run.

Defending champion, Creamline, will make its first appearance on 16 November against long-time rival Petro Gazz at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. This highly anticipated clash is expected to set the tone for the season, as the Cool Smashers strive to defend their title in style while seeking a fifth straight league championship.

The revamped Chery Tiggo squad, now under the guidance of head coach Norman Miguel, will debut against Capital1 on 12 November, alongside a showdown between PLDT and Nxled, coached by the Italian tactician Ettore Guidetti.

Both matches are slated for the Philsports Arena and are expected to showcase the league’s rising level of competition.

Meanwhile, fans are eagerly awaiting the debut of ZUS Coffee’s first overall Rookie Draftee, Thea Gagate, who brings excitement and high expectations to her team.

The Thunderbelles will take on the Akari Chargers on 14 November at the Filoil EcoOil Arena, making this a must-watch match for fans looking to catch a glimpse of the league’s future stars.

Other notable fixtures include a high-stakes clash between Cignal and Farm Fresh on 16 November.

This season will also rekindle the fierce rivalry between the Cool Smashers and the Flying Titans, who last met in the All-Filipino finals. They will clash on 3 December at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The excitement and drama continue as PLDT faces Akari on 14 December, their first meeting since their heated semifinal encounter in the recent Reinforced Conference.

Meanwhile, this season’s PVL is not only about showcasing top-notch local talent but also reaching fans across the country.

The PVL will hold matches outside Metro Manila, with stops in Candon, Ilocos Sur on 23 November, Cebu on 7 December, and Passi, Iloilo on 22 February to conclude the first-round preliminaries.

After the preliminaries, all the teams will be ranked from 1 to 12 according to the FIVB Classification system.

In the qualifying round, teams will be paired according to their final ranking from the preliminaries, with the matchups as follows: Rank 1 will face Rank 12, Rank 2 will compete against Rank 11, Rank 3 will go up against Rank 10, Rank 4 will take on Rank 9, Rank 5 will challenge Rank 8, and Rank 6 will square off against Rank 7, with the winning teams advancing to the playoffs.

The losing teams will drop to the play-in tournament.

In the play-in tournament, losing teams from the qualifying round will have another chance to advance to the playoffs, with teams ranked according to their preliminary standings; the highest-ranked team will be designated as Rank 7 and the lowest as Rank 12.

The tournament will consist of two groups: Group 1 will include Rank 7, Rank 10, and Rank 11, while Group 2 will consist of Rank 8, Rank 9, and Rank 12.

Each group will play a single round, with the top team from each group qualifying for the playoffs, where the Group 1 winner will become Rank 7 and the Group 2 winner will become Rank 8.