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By ADRIAN STEWART CO
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Saturday, January 7, 2017
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MANILA – It’s another loaded and action-packed year for the Philippine Superliga (PSL) this 2017 with four regular conferences and five international tournaments.
Recent developments in the country’s most prestigious semi-professional league serve as a fitting follow up to its successful hosting of the 2016 AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship and the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship.
Action in the league will begin with the PSL Invitational Conference next month where local teams will have their mettle tested by three foreign guest teams from Thailand, Japan and South Korea.
In the 2016 edition, the RC Cola-Army Lady Troopers ruled the conference after beating guest team Est Cola of Thailand. Guimaras-native Jovelyn Gonzaga took home the Most Valuable Player award.
Up next is the Hong Kong Invitational Tournament from March 10 to 12 and the Thai-Denmark Super League in Bangkok from March 24-31, where the PSL All-Star team is set to represent the country.
The league will then unfurl the PSL Beach Volleyball Challenge Cup in May where a new champion is expected following the nonparticipation of the Lady Troopers this year. Meanwhile the PSL Annual Rookie Draft is set for May 19.
The PSL All-Filipino Conference is slated from May to July, but will take a breather from May 23 to 31 as reigning PSL Grand Prix champion Foton flies to the province of Ust-Kamenogorsk in Kazakhstan to battle in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship.
The league will then take its turn in rolling out the carpet for Asia’s best spikers when it hosts the 2017 AVC Asian Women’s Seniors Championship from Aug. 9 to 17.
Also included in the league’s official calendar is the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur from Aug.19 to 31 where some PSL players are expected to be picked up.
PSL spikers will also have their turn to clash with Southeast Asia’s best players when they see action in the inaugural ASEAN Grand Prix, a four-nation meet that will be held in Thailand around September. The other competing teams are Vietnam and Indonesia.
The league will close its year with another slam-bang conference – the PSL Grand Prix. The Tornadoes is the defending champion in the tournament after beating the Petron Tri-Activ Spikers./PN
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