Spotlight shines on men's volleyball as Spikers' Turf fires off

Games Tuesday
(Paco Arena, Manila)
2:30 p.m. – Sta. Rosa vs Cignal
5:30 p.m. – VNS vs Fudgee Barr

MANILA, Philippines – Volleyball fans brace for fast, furious action as the Spikers' Turf returns after a long hiatus with fancied Cignal testing the young Sta. Rosa side’s mettle and VNS-One Alicia and Ateneo-Fudgee Barr facing off in a pair of explosive matches kicking off the Open Conference Tuesday at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The HD Spikers set out for their 2:30 p.m. clash with the Lions, eager to flaunt their form on a team led by former league Most Valuable Players Marck Espejo and Ysay Marasigan and backstopped by former collegiate standouts Chu Njigha (Ateneo), Louie Ramirez (Perpetual), and Edward Camposano (National University).

"I'm excited that the Spikers' Turf is back since this is the league where it all started for us," said Espejo, whose vast talents had earned him a stint in the Japan V. League for Team FC Tokyo last season. "We'll do our best to defend our crown but we know that the competition will be tough this conference."

The Lions of Sta. Rosa City of coach Edward Lirio, meanwhile, hope to make the most of their young crew made up of players 18-years-old-and-below.

Ateneo-Fudgee Bar, meanwhile, launches its title drive with skipper Lance De Castro and rookie Matthew Salarzon all primed for their 5:30 p.m. encounter with the VNS hitters.

Also helping in the team’s transition is assistant coach and former Spikers’ Turf best setter Vince Mangulabnan.

But the VNS-One Alicia is also all geared up for its campaign with top setter and national team standout Ish Polvorosa spearheading their charge along with Mapua standouts Alfredo Pagulong and Ben San Andres.

The three other squads in the seven-team field are the National U-Sta. Elena, Army and Navy.

The top four teams after the single round elims will advance to the semifinals, guaranteeing a slam-bang action in all matches. The top two will clash for the crown in a best-of-three series while the last two will dispute the bronze medal.

The semis are scheduled to start on September 24 with the finals slated on October 1.

The HD Spikers turned back the Air Force Jet Spikers twice to claim the Reinforced and Open crowns in 2019 before the country’s first and only men’s volley league, which Sports Vision launched in 2015, took a long break due to pandemic.