The inaugural V-League Visayas gets off the ground on 5 July in Cebu City with the mission of discovering talent that could someday blossom into the country’s next volleyball star.

“This is more than a competition,” said Grace Antigua, a former national team standout and current head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams of the University of San Carlos (USC) Warriors.

“This is a dream platform for our players — a place where they can finally be seen and, hopefully, be called up to greater opportunities.”

The month-long event is set to be a turning point in Philippine volleyball, not only celebrating school spirit and athletic excellence but also rewriting the narrative for provincial collegiate players hungry for recognition, development and the chance to go professional.

The USC Warriors are among the pioneering schools participating in the Visayas V-L’s opening salvo.

For her and many others in the grassroots sports community, the league signals a powerful message: that the path to the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) and even the Alas Pilipinas national team doesn’t have to start in Metro Manila.

It can actually begin right in the heart of the Visayas.

The league, a regional offshoot of the highly successful PVL, brings the same structure, competition level, and visibility that have elevated women’s volleyball to new heights in recent years.

It also marks a full-circle moment for Sports Vision, the organizing body that revived collegiate volleyball in 2004 with the original V-League before evolving it into the PVL powerhouse it is today.

“This is grassroots. Once younger athletes see that we have our own Visayas V-League, they will be inspired to be part of the bigger volleyball scene in the country,” said Antigua. “It will spark belief in the players, and that’s the first step to greatness.”

Assistant coach Harvey Bernil underscored the deeper significance of the Visayas V-L.