The V-League, long considered the spawning ground of volley talents in the country, will be re-launched on Sunday, October 16 at the Paco Arena with 20 teams all primed for a spirited chase for top honors both in the men’s and women’s divisions.
Powerhouse National U heads the 12-team roster in the men’s category, ready to re-stamp the class and poise it showed in humbling the country’s best players in the recent Spikers’ Turf.
But while the 2018 Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference champions appear to have the edge in talent and experience, the likes of Arellano U, De La Salle U, and University of Perpetual Help System DALTA have also shored up their respective rosters, eager to prove their worth and fuel their respective title drive in the upcoming tournament organized by Sports Vision, which brought the once dormant sport back to life way back in 2004 through women’s collegiate setup and turned it to what it is now.
Eight teams, on the other hand, will dispute the championship on the distaff side.
“With sports practically back to where it was before the pandemic, we are glad to re-launch our collegiate competitions which we started back in 2004 – through women’s volleyball – in our effort to harness the available material, bring back the glory days of women’s volley and eventually take it to greater heights. At the same time, we are also doing the same for the men’s volleyball with the Spikers’ Turf and now, the V-League’s men’s competition,” said Sports Vision president Ricky Palou.
Meanwhile, University of Sto. Tomas, the first-ever champion of the V-League, as well as fellow founding members San Sebastian College-Recoletos and Far Eastern University will make their return to the much-anticipated tournament also serving as part of the various schools’ buildup for the coming collegiate season.
Adamson University, Ateneo de Manila University, College of St. Benilde, San Beda University, University of the Philippines, UST, SSC-R, and FEU are all fielding teams in both divisions.