PNVF to stage Champions League in November

The Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) is set to stage the Champions League (CL), a tournament which will feature high-caliber teams from different parts of the country.

PNVF president Ramon "Tats" Suzara on Thursday said the federation is eyeing to hold the tournament from November 13 to 19 for the women's division. The men's division, meanwhile, is scheduled from November 20 to 26.

All eight teams from each category will play as many as 24 matches.

According to PNVF, potential venues are Ilocos Norte Centennial Arena in Laoag City, Claro M. Recto Events Center in Lipa City, or Tagaytay City, where the tournament will be held under a semi-bubble format.

The CL is a national league owned and organized by the PNVF which aims to bring together all volleyball stakeholders through a high level of play at the club level.

"It is also one of the PNVF's 10-point agendas which is to serve Filipino families with entertainment through volleyball and to make volleyball a widely played sport by elevating it through high-performance competition," Suzara said in a statement.

Premier Volleyball League (PVL) clubs Cignal HD, Black Mamba-Army, Sta. Lucia, Chery Tiggo, PetroGazz and F2 Logistics, as well as teams from Baguio City and Iligan City, are all invited to join the Champions League.

In the preliminary round, eight clubs will be divided into two groups, A and B, and will play in a round robin format. After the rankings are determined, teams will play each other in a cross-over single elimination format in the quarterfinals.

Winners will advance to the semifinal round while the losing clubs will play in the classification phase. Semifinal winners will then advance to the gold medal match while losers will play for the bronze medal.

Deadline for the submission of 20-player rosters is on October 20.

—Bea Micaller/MGP, GMA News