Pasig City - The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) is set to introduce a new tournament format at the Reinforced Conference, which begins on July 16 at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. This year's conference will feature twelve teams and a revised competition structure to enhance the level of play and excitement for volleyball fans.
According to Philippines News Agency, the teams will be split into two pools based on their performance in the All-Filipino Conference held from February to May. Pool A includes the champion team Creamline, alongside Chery Tiggo, Farm Fresh, Galeries Tower, Nxled, and PLDT. Meanwhile, Pool B comprises Petro Gazz, the current Reinforced champion, along with Akari, Capital1, Cignal, Choco Mucho, and ZUS Coffee.
The preliminary phase of the conference will unfold in two stages. Initially, teams within each pool will compete in a round-robin format. Following this, the top three teams from Pool A will form Pool C and face off against the bottom three teams from Pool B, while the top teams from Pool B will meet the lower-ranked teams from Pool A in Pool D. The performance in these rounds will determine the teams advancing to the knockout quarterfinals, using the FIVB Classification System to rank teams.
The top eight teams from the preliminaries will proceed to the knockout quarterfinals, leading to semifinals and a final match. The final stages of the tournament will feature a single-elimination format, with the top two teams competing in a winner-take-all gold medal match, while the semifinal losers will vie for the bronze medal.
The opening day of the Reinforced Conference promises exciting matchups, starting with Galeries Tower Highrisers versus Nxled Chameleons at 2 p.m., followed by Chery Tiggo Crossovers against Farm Fresh Foxies at 4 p.m., and culminating with Creamline Cool Smashers facing PLDT High Speed Hitters at 6 p.m.
The tournament will also showcase a diverse array of international talent, including American players Katherine Bell and Erika Staunton, Russian athletes Lena Samoilenko and Marina Tushova, Brazilian Monique Helena, Venezuelan MJ Perez, Greek Zoi Faki, and Japanese Asaka Tamaru. Petro Gazz is yet to announce its international player.