Rivals clash as PVL All-Filipino Conference resumes

Games today (Saturday)

1:30 p.m. — Farm Fresh vs Akari

4 p.m. — ZUS Coffee vs Choco Mucho

6:30 p.m. — Akari vs PLDT

The Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference resumes today (Saturday, Jan. 18) at the Philsports Arena with back-to-back triple-bill matches with all 12 teams set to reignite their campaigns after a month-long break, seeking to solidify their positions and build momentum heading into the qualifying stage.

The spotlight will shine brightest on the grudge match between PLDT (3-2) and Akari (3-3) at 6:30 p.m. Both teams hold closely contested records, making this a high-stakes showdown. Their last face-off ended dramatically in favor of Akari, which secured a nail-biting five-set victory (25-22, 18-25, 22-25, 26-24, 17-15) after a controversial challenge awarded the Chargers a decisive point.

The tension between these squads guarantees an electrifying rematch.

“We continued with individual workouts during the holiday break, and then resumed our normal routine when we came back — focusing on conditioning and court work,” said PLDT coach Rald Ricafort. However, he is still dealing with the ongoing absence of two key players. Kim Dy remains on a day-to-day basis, while Kim Fajardo is about 80 percent ready to return.

“I think rivalries are so interesting. I love being part of them. It just makes everything so much better and so much heavier. You know what I mean? It makes the win sweeter, makes the losses harder,” said PLDT top gun Savi Davison.

“In that case, like, of course I’m excited to play Akari because we have that chip on our shoulder. Like it’s something to come back for, right? We owe them one, right? So of course I’m excited, but there’s intent from the whole team, right? So I’m just trying to add to that,” she added.

Akari coach Taka Minowa chose to downplay the recent challenges, shifting his focus toward strengthening the team and addressing their weaknesses during the break.

“We analyzed every game from last season, looking at all teams to pinpoint our own areas for improvement. Since then, we’ve been consistently working to enhance those aspects through training,” Minowa said.

While he acknowledged that the break hadn’t transformed the team into a powerhouse overnight, Minowa remains optimistic that the Chargers will grow stronger as they aim for the post-prelims stage.

“Of course, we’ve had some breaks along the way, and it’s unrealistic to expect significant changes in such a short period. But I’m hopeful we can continue to progress as we approach the quarterfinals,” he said.

“Looking ahead to the end of February, I know the remaining five games will pose many challenges. However, by staying focused on our team goals and maintaining unity, we will continue to support each other as one cohesive unit,” added Minowa.

Earlier in the day, Farm Fresh (2-3) faces Nxled (0-5) at 1:30 p.m., with the Foxies looking to bolster their record against the still-winless Chameleons. At 4 p.m., Choco Mucho (3-3) takes on ZUS Coffee (2-3), as both teams aim to improve their standings.

The action continues on Tuesday with matches featuring the Cignal HD Spikers (4-1) against the Galeries Tower Highrisers (1-5) at 1:30 p.m., followed by the defending champion Creamline Cool Smashers (4-0) battling the Capital1 Solar Spikers (1-4) at 4 p.m.

The night concludes with a top-tier clash between league leader Petro Gazz (5-1) and Chery Tiggo (4-2) at 6:30 p.m.

The resumption marks a critical juncture for all teams. With the preliminaries wrapping up the first half of the 32-playdate schedule in December, the pressure is on for contenders to deliver and secure favorable rankings. The tournament’s format ensures every match counts, heightening the intensity as teams vie for a coveted spot in the playoffs and ultimately, the championship.

Following the prelims, teams will be ranked 1 through 12 based on the FIVB Classification system. In the qualifying round, matchups will pair the highest and lowest-ranked teams (No. 1 vs No. 12, No. 2 vs No. 11 and so on).

Winning teams advance directly to the playoffs, while the losing teams compete in the play-in tournament.