PVL Invitational gives way to AVC event

MANILA, Philippines — The Premier Volleyball League has reset its Invitational Conference from June 6 to June 29 to give way to the country’s participation in the Asian Volleyball Confederation Challenge Cup slated June 18-25 in Gresik in East Java, Indonesia.

“We will give in to the national team participating in the AVC Challenge Cup,” league commissioner Tonyboy Liao yesterday told The STAR.

While the Philippine National Volleyball Federation has yet to announce if it will retain the same team that finished fourth in the recently concluded Phnom Penh Southeast Asian Games or form a new one, expectations are high it would be another all-PVL crew.

The weeklong biennial event is a tournament for bottom senior national women’s teams of the AVC.

Hong Kong topped the last edition held in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand last year.

Meanwhile, the Invitational will have 12 teams including defending champion Creamline, foreign teams from Japan and Australia and new clubs Gerflor, which will be coached by Jerry Yee and composed mostly of players from reigning NCAA titlist St. Benilde and Farm Fresh.