Regional champions challenge Bacolod Tay Tung three-peat bid

Bacolod Tay Tung seeks to cement its place in Rebisco Volleyball League history as it guns for a third straight national title when the RVL National Finals 2025 open Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

The Western Visayas champions enter the tournament aiming for a rare three-peat, but the path to another crown is expected to be difficult given the depth of competition in this year’s field.

Challenging the Thunderbolts are nine local teams that earned their berths after months of regional competition, along with two foreign squads expected to raise the level of play and test the country’s top high school programs.

Three schools are set to make their national finals debut, led by Immaculate Conception Academy, Davao City National High School, and Holy Trinity College.

Immaculate Conception Academy is one of two South Luzon champions and comes into the tournament as a perennial regional semifinalist from Dasmariñas, Cavite, under the guidance of Jennifer Buhawe Aranas, a champion coach from San Sebastian in both indoor and beach volleyball.

Davao City National High School represents Southern Mindanao and looks to leave a mark in its first national appearance after being a consistent Final Four contender in the regionals and producing collegiate standout Lucille Almonte of Adamson University.

Holy Trinity College of General Santos City rounds out the rookie group after an unexpected but deserving regional finals victory that earned the school Central Mindanao’s slot in the national tournament.

While the three newcomers are eager to prove themselves, two teams are making back-to-back national finals appearances and are eyeing a breakthrough performance.

University of San Jose-Recoletos of Cebu, the Central Visayas champion, aims to finally get over the hump after multiple podium finishes, including a bronze medal last season.

Linao National High School of Leyte, meanwhile, arrives as an emerging Visayas powerhouse after winning back-to-back Eastern Visayas titles and is determined to make the most of its return trip to Manila.

Four other schools are also back on the national stage after missing the previous edition, led by National University of Nazareth School, Iligan City National High School, De la Salle Lipa, and California Academy.

National University of Nazareth School again represents the National Capital Region and brings both youth and experience, having been crowned the league’s first national champion in 2017 and recently ruling the UAAP, with national team and Akari standout Faith Nisperos as its most notable product.

Iligan City National High School makes its third national finals appearance as Northern Mindanao’s representative and draws confidence from a program that has produced professional players Kath Arado and Judith Abil.

De la Salle Lipa joins Immaculate Conception Academy as South Luzon’s representatives, with the NCAA South champion school making its third national finals stint and aiming to at least equal its runner-up finish in the league’s inaugural 2017 edition after producing talents such as the Maraguinot sisters, Alleiah Malaluan, and Maji Mangulabnan.

California Academy of Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya completes the local field after ruling Northern Luzon and unseating Sta. Cruz Academy of Lubao Inc. to book its second national finals appearance.

Adding international flavor to the competition are foreign guest teams Persatuan Bola Tampar Sarawak of Malaysia and Perfect Set of the United States, which will compete in the RVL National Finals preliminary stage before facing the eventual local finalists in the separate RVL Invitational Finals on Jan. 23 and 24.

Tournament matches run from Jan. 17 to 24 at the Ynares Sports Arena and are open to the public, with fans also able to follow the action through livestreams and updates on the Rebisco Volleyball Philippines Facebook page.

Organized by Republic Biscuit Corporation through Action Republic Corporation, the Rebisco Volleyball League has served since 2009 as a key platform for developing volleyball talent nationwide, supporting players and coaches from the grassroots to the national team level.