New blood sets stage for PVL’s fiercest title chase yet

With a compressed eight-week calendar and an upgraded format, the 2025 Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference promises unpredictability, elite competition, and a clash of volleyball styles when it fires off Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal.

Headlining the high-stakes event is a fresh wave of 10 international reinforcements making their PVL debuts, each aiming to derail PLDT’s bid for a season sweep.

Two returning imports—Lindsey Vander Weide for Petro Gazz and Jelena Cvijovic for Galeries Tower—are expected to make immediate impacts with experience and familiarity with the PVL’s pace and pressure.

PLDT, on a historic roll after winning the PVL On Tour and the Invitational Conference, turns to Russian hitter Anastasia Bavykina to spearhead its charge.

Head coach Rald Ricafort tempers expectations as the team chases a rare triple crown in a deep field.

Creamline, determined to rebound from a down season after last year’s Grand Slam, has tapped American Courtney Schwan to reinvigorate its campaign in the tournament backed by ICTSI, Mikasa, Fabriano, and Milcu, replacing Erika Staunton.

Cignal adds European firepower with Greek standout Eva Chantava, Farm Fresh brings in Belgian star Helene Rousseaux, Nxled signs Spain’s Paola Martinez Vela, Choco Mucho fields Anyse Smith, and Capital1 replaces prolific Marina Tushova with Ukrainian scorer Oleksandra Bytsenko.

Cuban powerhouse Yunieska Batista anchors Chery Tiggo’s attack in a redemption bid after falling short in the Invitationals, while Anna DeBeer boosts ZUS Coffee and Annie Mitchem looks to lead Akari’s rise.

Uncertainty surrounds the new imports, with some arriving with national-team pedigrees and others as high-upside wild cards who could surprise established local stars.

With limited time to build chemistry, every match carries upset potential and the race for the crown is wide open.

PLDT has dominated the season, but perfection will be hard to maintain in a volatile format against contenders Creamline, Chery Tiggo, and Cignal, plus ambitious squads like ZUS Coffee and Farm Fresh.

Under the new format, 12 teams are split into two pools: Pool A has PLDT, Cignal, Farm Fresh, Nxled, Choco Mucho, and Capital1, while Pool B features Chery Tiggo, Creamline, ZUS Coffee, Akari, Galeries Tower, and Petro Gazz.

Each team plays a single round-robin within its group, the top three from each pool then cross over against the bottom three from the opposite group, and rankings follow FIVB standards—total wins, match points, set ratio, and point ratio.

After the second round, all 12 teams are re-ranked, the bottom four are eliminated, and the top eight advance to single-elimination quarterfinals (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, and so on) with knockout semifinals and medal matches.

Opening day features a doubleheader with the Thunderbelles vs. the Chargers at 4 p.m., followed by the Solar Spikers vs. the Flying Titans at 6:30 p.m.

With global talent, compact schedules, and title legacies at stake, this edition is poised to be one of the PVL’s most thrilling Reinforced Conferences.

While imports will grab headlines, many expect the league’s veteran and rising local stars to steal the show.

COACHES BRACE FOR WILD RIDE

Coaches across the league agree that the Reinforced Conference firing off Tuesday, Oct. 7, could be the most unpredictable yet.

In a bid to bring volleyball closer to fans, the PVL will stage the first three playdates out of town, with matches across three provinces during the eight-week eliminations.

Despite PLDT sweeping both the PVL On Tour and Invitational Conference earlier this year, parity has taken root, and coaches say any team could emerge champion when the finals conclude on Nov. 27.

“There’s no easy game anymore,” said PLDT head coach Rald Ricafort in Filipino.

“It used to sound like a cliché, but it’s the truth now—every team has significantly improved, and with the addition of imports and rookies like Alas, it’s going to be a battle every match.”

PLDT remains the gold standard after back-to-back titles without dropping a match, a streak that puts a target on its back.

Anchoring the title defense is a frontline led by Savi Davison, Kim Dy, Majoy Baron, and Mika Reyes, reinforced by Bavykina, a power-scoring outside hitter fresh from Yenisey Krasnoyarsk in Russia.

Bavykina is expected to form a dangerous wing duo with Davison, one of the season’s most lethal combinations.

While Ricafort notes rising league parity, the core’s continuity and the impact of imports make PLDT an early favorite.

Creamline seeks redemption after missing consecutive finals and adds American import Courtney Schwan to contend again.

“It’s really hard to say who’s the strongest right now,” head coach Sherwin Meneses said in Filipino.

“We’ll only know once the tournament starts, and the biggest factor is the quality of the imports since most teams, including us, kept the same local core.”

Choco Mucho, a fan favorite, looks to rebound from a 10th-place finish in the PVL On Tour with American import Marlee Smith—who saw action in Thailand’s AVC Champions League—and veteran coach Dante Alinsunurin at the helm.

“For sure, the usual top four teams are still the ones to watch,” Alinsunurin said in Filipino.

“But I believe the rest of the league has closed the gap, and the PVL’s new drafting system helped raise the overall level of play, with former bottom teams now delivering strong performances.”

Galeries Tower, coached by Godfrey Okumu, brings back Montenegrin outside hitter Jelena Cvijovic, who helped Chery Tiggo to fourth place in 2022.

“It’s hard to say who the top teams are,” Okumu said.

“Our group is incredibly tough with three past champions, so we’ll focus on playing our best one match at a time, and may the best team win.”

Despite PLDT’s run, the consensus is that the season-ending conference, backed by ICTSI, Fabriano Appliances, Milcu, and Mikasa, will be a battlefield where no win comes easy and no team is safe.

ZUS Coffee and Akari open hostilities on Tuesday at 4 p.m., followed by Capital1 vs. Choco Mucho at 6:30 p.m. at the Ynares Center in Montalban, Rizal.

The action then shifts to Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite for the next two playdates, with Galeries Tower vs. Petro Gazz at 4 p.m. and Farm Fresh vs. Nxled at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, and Chery Tiggo vs. ZUS Coffee at 4 p.m. and Akari vs. Creamline at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 11.