The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) has made a last-minute change to its six-team lineup for the two-week Invitational after the Kurashiki Ablaze from Japan withdrew due to an internal issue involving their head coach.

Kurashiki, the 2023 PVL Invitational champion, pulled out of the tournament following a serious compliance violation allegedly committed by head coach Hideo Suzuki.

“We regret to inform you that we received a notice from the Japan Volleyball League indicating that our head coach, Hideo Suzuki, may have committed a serious compliance violation,” said Daisuke Watanabe, Representative Director of Ablaze Co. Ltd., in an official statement.

“In response to this notification, our team has decided to immediately commence an internal investigation and suspend all activities until the details of the incident are fully clarified,” he added.

“It is with great regret that we must inform you of our decision to withdraw from participating in the PVL Invitational. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this sudden decision, made so close to the start of the tournament, may cause to all parties involved,” Watanabe further said.

With Kurashiki officially out, the PVL has tapped the fifth-placed team from the PVL on Tour to complete the tournament lineup.

An invitation was initially sent to Farm Fresh team owner Frank Lao, but he opted to field the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles instead, citing that the Foxies are still not ready and are short of a full training roster.

The Thunderbelles, who finished sixth in the On Tour games, will now join the Invitational field.