THE PREMIER Volleyball League (PVL) has reset its Invitational Conference from June 6 to June 29 to give way for the country’s participation in the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup slated June 18-25 in Gresik in East Java, Indonesia.
“We will give in to the national team participating in the AVC Challenge Cup,” league commissioner Tonyboy Liao yesterday told The STAR.
While the Philippine National Volleyball Federation has yet to announce if it will retain the same team that finished fourth in the recently concluded Phnom Penh Southeast Asian Games or form a new one, there were expectations the squad will still be an all-PVL crew.
The weeklong biennial event is a tournament for bottom senior national women’s team members of the AVC.
The last edition, held in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand, was topped by Hong Kong a year ago.
Meanwhile, the Invitational will have 12 teams including defending champion Creamline, foreign teams from Japan and Australia and new clubs Gerflor, which will be coached by Jerry Yee and composed mostly of players from reigning NCAA titlist St. Benilde and Farm Fresh.
Creamline was bracketed in Pool A alongside PLDT, Chery Tiggo, Akari and Gerflor while Pool B is composed of Petro Gazz, F2, Cignal, Choco Mucho and Farm Fresh.
Army has begged off.
Mr. Liao said the tournament format would be a single-round robin in the group stages as well as the semis — top two from each group — and knockout finals and battle for third place. — Joey Villar
