NEW rules will be introduced by the Premier Volleyball League to shorten the duration of matches for the Second All Filipino Conference, ensuring faster and livelier action when the season-ending tournament starts this Sunday (Oct. 15) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum,
“Since the introduction of the video challenge, humaba ‘yung games natin lalo na kapag nag-five sets,” said PVL competition director Sherwin Malonzo during the event launch at Discovery Suites in Pasig City last Wednesday.
The organizing Sports Vision has guaranteed a conference to remember with a record 12 teams of varying strengths and styles set to slug it out in a single round-robin eliminations, with the top four advancing to the semis.
“We’re introducing one technical timeout for this conference. When the first team reaches 13 points, we’ll have the technical timeout. It may last for as short as one minute or as long as two minutes,” said Malonzo.
Teams will also now have one regular timeout and one 30-second timeout for each set.
In previous tournaments, two technical times were called — when the first team had reached eight and 16 points.
Coaches will also be allowed to talk to their players and hand out instructions during video challenges.
“‘Yung video challenge, it will still be the same — two per set. Hanggang tama ang team sa video challenge, hindi siya mababawasan at pwede ng kausapin ‘yung players during video challenges,” said Malonzo.
Teams will now only change courts once every game. This will be done right after the second set and will last for three minutes while the rest of the breaks in between sets will run for five minutes.
Malonzo said this will give more players time to rest as well as for the coaches to give out instructions and set up their respective plays.
“Ang change court natin will be once na lang — in the second set,” said Malonzo. “For each set, except for the second to third sets, there will still a three-minute break but the when we change court on the second set going towards the third set, it’s going to be a five-minute break just to give enough time to the coaches to give instructions also.”
