MANILA — The Premier Volleyball League gets a major injection of star power when Alas Pilipinas standouts return to their mother clubs as the PVL launches its milestone 10th season with a blockbuster doubleheader in Cebu on Oct. 10.
Fresh from national team duty, some of the country’s top volleyball players will immediately find themselves on opposite sides of the net when the revamped All-Filipino Conference fires off at the SM Seaside Cebu Arena.
Among those returning to club action are Capital1’s Bella Belen, Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina and Eya Laure, Creamline’s Jia De Guzman and Bernadeth Pons, and Akari’s Justine Jazareno and Mars Alba.
Belen and the Solar Spikers will battle Rondina, Laure and the Flying Titans in the 1 p.m. opener, setting up an early showdown among players who recently wore the same national colors.
At 6 p.m., De Guzman and Pons return to Creamline as the Cool Smashers take on Jazareno, Alba and the Akari Chargers in the second half of the opening-day twin bill.
Also returning to their respective PVL clubs are PLDT’s Dell Palomata and Capital1’s Vanie Gandler and Erika Santos.
The national team standouts spent much of the previous stretch of the season with Alas Pilipinas, culminating in the Philippines’ campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Their national team commitments forced their clubs to compete in the PVL On Tour and Invitational Conference without several key players.
Their return not only reinforces their respective squads but also restores some of the league’s marquee individual matchups as teams begin their pursuit of the season’s ultimate prize.
The PVL’s 10th season will feature a major overhaul of its competition format, with the All-Filipino Conference divided into three series — Siklab, Sigla and Sinag.
Results across the three series will count toward the race for the Philippine Grand Championship, placing a premium on sustained performance and consistency rather than success in a single tournament.
The anniversary campaign also marks a milestone for Sports Vision, with both the PVL and Spikers’ Turf celebrating their 10th seasons.
Since its early years, the PVL has developed into one of the country’s premier volleyball competitions, bringing together established stars and emerging talents while drawing increasingly larger crowds.
Opening the milestone season in Cebu further underscores the league’s push to bring top-level volleyball outside Metro Manila, with the SM Seaside Cebu Arena hosting the opening ceremonies and the first two matches of the campaign.
With its national team stars back in club colors and a new championship format raising the stakes, the PVL enters its second decade with every series — and every match — carrying greater weight in the battle for the Philippine Grand Championship./PN
