PVL All-Filipino tourney sticks to 12 teams

MANILA, Philippines – The season-ushering Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference will continue to parade a 12-team cast despite losing F2 Logistics as it moved it’s opening from February 17 to February 20 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“We’ll have 12 teams,” said PVL president Ricky Palou Wednesday.

The Creamline Cool Smashers have remained the team to beat after topping two AFC editions last year while ending up as runners up in the Reinforced Conferences in between the two diadems.

Also seeing action are Choco Mucho, PLDT, Cignal, Chery Tiggo, Petro Gazz, Akari, Nxled, Galeries Tower, Farm Fresh, Strong Group Athletics and a still unidentified 12th squad, which will fill up the slot vacated the defunct Cargo Movers.

Apart from the AFC, the league will also stage a Reinforced Conference, which will be combined with the Invitational Conference, in the middle of the year.

That will be the second and last conference the PVL will stage as it has leaned towards holding two conferences a season starting this year and do away with its traditional three conferences.

And starting next season, the AFC will be a longer one as it will conduct it starting October this year up to May next year in a stretch wherein each team will get to play at least 16 or 22 games depending on the format the league will implement.

“We will now have two conferences, instead of three,” said Palou.