SEVEN teams led by Open Conference champion Creamline will gear up for another spirited battle for supremacy in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference that will also feature two crack foreign squads set to stir up play in the semis.
The Invitational, set to start on July 9 at The Arena in San Juan, was launched in elaborate rites yesterday in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Century Park Sheraton Hotel.
Aside from Creamline, also set to battle for the crown are Petro Gazz, Chery Tiggo, Cignal, Choco Mucho, Army Black Mamba, and PLDT. Two other teams, F2 Logistics and BaliPure begged off.
On opening day, the HD Spikers face the Lady Troopers at 2:30 p.m. while the Flying Titans duel with the Crossovers at 5:30. Japanese team Kobe Shinwa Women’s University, which had previously played in the country back in 2017, and Taiwan Volleyball League’s Taipei King Whales will spice up action in the semifinals.
“We hope to sustain the momentum we gained in the Open Conference,” said Ricky Palou, president of Sports Vision which revived the once dormant sport in 2004.
“For the Invitationals, we are spicing up things with the addition of two foreign teams. We are looking forward to another memorable season with them that, hopefully, our fans will enjoy,” he added.
“New Taipei is a strong team while Kobe Shinwa will be a force to be reckoned with,” tournament director Tony Boy Liao said in the weekly public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Milo, Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, Unilever Philippines, Amelie Hotel Manila, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.
The two get to show their wares in the semifinals where they will clash in a single round-robin with the top four local teams. — Abby Toralba
