Milestones light up Phl volleyball

Dynasties, grand slams and historic firsts were the trend in Philippine volleyball in the year 2024.

Creamline painted the town pink to remain as the nation’s top professional women’s volleyball club, familiar schools dominate the collegiate ranks while Alas Pilipinas achieved success on the international stage which gave the national team program a promising future.

The Cool Smashers extended their reign in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference to a fourth straight time despite a challenging run.

With teams beefing up their rosters and the arrival of a new club, Capital1, the competition got even more competitive.

Creamline parted ways with long-time middle blocker Ced Domingo but acquired Bea De Leon and Denden Lazaro-Revilla in a surprising swap with Choco Mucho which triggered the league to review its rule on sister-team transactions.   

The Cool Smashers didn’t look as dominant as the past year when they swept the 2nd AFC as they ended up at fourth spot in the elimination round with an 8-3 win-loss record. Creamline would then lose to the Flying Titans in five sets for the first time since Choco Mucho joined the PVL in 2019 to start the round-robin semifinals.

Filling in for load-managed star Alyssa Valdez, Bernadeth Pons teamed up with Jema Galanza and Tots Carlos to rally the Cool Smashers for a finals rematch against the Flying Titans, who swept the semis.

Creamline fought back from a set down to take the title series opener before outlasting Choco Mucho in five sets in front of a record 23,162-strong crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum for its eighth championship overall.

The PVL held its first-ever rookie Draft which saw De La Salle University star Thea Gagate selected as the top overall pick by ZUS Coffee before the start of the mid-season tournament.

The Cool Smashers tapped American Erica Staunton as import in the Reinforced Conference but played sans injured Carlos and Valdez while Galanza joined Alas Pilipinas for a tour of duty.

Capital1’s Russian reinforcement Marina Tushova recorded a league-record high 50 points in a five-set loss to the Cignal HD Spikers.

Despite a depleted lineup, Creamline would annex its second Reinforced Conference crown overall since winning it all in 2018 at the expense of erstwhile unbeaten Akari in a dominating straight-sets victory in the one-game final. Pons was named Conference and Finals Most Valuable Player.

The Cool Smashers will make it three in a row after annexing the short Invitational Conference title beating the HD Spikers in five sets in the winner-take-all final for the league’s first-ever grand slam.

Not to be outdone, Cignal also swept the Spikers’ Turf season after ruling the Reinforced and Invitational conferences, beating the star-studded Criss Cross both times in the finals.

Meanwhile, College of Saint Benilde completed a three-peat in the women’s division going unbeaten for a third straight season in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 99. University of Perpetual Help System Dalta established its dominance in men’s play for a back-to-back.

National University (NU) on the other hand ruled the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 men’s and women’s divisions.

The Bulldogs swept University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the finals series for a four-peat.

With two-time MVP Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Sheena Toring and Vange Alinsug returning, the Lady Bulldogs under new coach Norman Miguel reclaimed the crown they lost the previous season by taming the Tigresses in two games.

NU’s women’s squad brought their success into the pre-season after a sweeping conquest of the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals before achieving a grand slam by beating archrival De La Salle University in the centerpiece Collegiate Pre-season Championship finals under a new mentor in Creamline tactician Sherwin Meneses.

UST bagged the 2024 Collegiate V.League Challenge women’s crown while Far Eastern University lorded it over on the men’s side.

The Philippines also made its mark in the international arena with Alas Pilipinas’ success.

Tapping top talents from the PVL and the collegiate ranks, the Jia De Guzman-skippered Alas Pilipinas achieved a historic feat after a bronze medal finish in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Women’s Challenge Cup held in Manila.

The Nationals got their first-ever podium finish in an AVC-sanctioned tournament. De Guzman was named Best Setter and Angel Canino was selected as Best Opposite Spiker in the 10-nation tournament.

Alas Pilipinas would then win back-to-back bronze medals in the two-leg Southeast Asian V.League.

De Guzman became the second Filipina to win a title in the Japan V.League after helping the Denso Airybees snatch the Women’s V. Cup championship.

The Philippines also won the bid to host the FIVB men’s world championship which will be staged from 12 to 28 September 2025. The country also made a successful hosting of the men’s Volleyball Nations League Week 3 last June.