After turning pro, PVL rules out 'unified league' with Superliga

MANILA, Philippines – The fire lit by the proposed unified volleyball league between the Premier Volleyball League and the Philippine Superliga has been extinguished.

“I don’t think it is going to happen,” said PVL president Ricky Palou in Tuesday’s online PSA Forum.

The development was a by-product of the PVL’s decision to turn professional recently and having a unity cup with the PSL will not possible considering that latter has opted to stay collegiate or semi-pro in status.

It did not help that the two parties had disagreed on the format.

Palou said original plan was to have the top four clubs of each league to play but the PSL wanted all of their teams to go at it head to head or in a round-robin format with the PVL squads.

Palou, however, said it is not feasible since it would take three to four months to conclude, which would eventually eat into the PVL’s calendar.

“We felt it was too long so we never came to an agreement,” said Palou.

A unified volley league would have pitted the best in the PVL like Creamline’s Alyssa Valdez, Choco Mucho’s Bea de Leon, BanKo Perlas’ Nicole Tiamzon, Petro Gazz’s Grethcel Soltones and Motolite’s Myla Pablo against the PSL’s brightest like F2’s Abi Maranon, Cignal’s Rachel Daquis and PLDT’s Shola Alvarez.

But now that the PVL has become the country’s first pro volleyball league, that dream unification will not be realized.

“At this point in time, it’s completely out of the picture,” said Palou.