PVL Reinforced promises high-octane volley action

With a fresh format and a lineup packed with talented reinforcements, the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is gearing up for another thrilling Reinforced Conference starting on July 16 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

In line with its mission to deliver top-notch matches and heightened excitement for fans, the country’s premier volleyball league has divided its 12 teams into two groups based on their rankings from the recent All-Filipino Conference.

Champion Creamline, Chery Tiggo, Farm Fresh, Galeries Tower, Nxled and PLDT comprise Pool A, while defending Reinforced Conference titlist Petro Gazz headlines the Pool B roster, joined by Akari, Capital1, Cignal, Choco Mucho and ZUS Coffee.

The group phase will feature two stages, starting with a single round-robin format. In the second round, the top three teams from Pool A will face the bottom three from Pool B in Pool C, while the top three squads from Pool B will compete against the lower-ranked teams of Pool A in Pool D.

Following the preliminaries, teams will be ranked using the FIVB Classification System. The top eight squads will move on to the knockout quarterfinals. Winners will advance to the semifinals, which will also be decided in a do-or-die match. The top two teams from the semis will compete in a winner-take-all gold medal match, while the losers will battle for bronze.

The PVL Reinforced Conference will feature three games on all preliminary game days, paving the way for the Invitational Conference set for September.

The opening day promises intense matchups, starting with the Highrisers, supported by Brazilian reinforcement Monique Helena, facing the Nxled squad, which has yet to reveal its import, at 2 p.m. at the Philsports Arena.

At 4 p.m., American spiker Katherine Bell and the Crossovers will challenge the Foxies. The main event at 6 p.m. will see the Cool Smashers, led by Erika Staunton from the USA, against returning Russian hitter Lena Samoilenko and the PLDT High Speed Hitters.

Other reinforcements ready to showcase their talents include Oly Okaro (Akari), Marina Tushova (Capital1), MJ Perez (Cignal), Zoi Faki (Choco Mucho), and Asaka Tamaru (ZUS Coffee). Petro Gazz and Farm Fresh have yet to announce their imports at presstime.