Shakey’s Super League unfolds

MANILA, Philippines — UAAP champion National U and NCAA titlist St. Benilde headline the cast when the 2024 Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals kick off today at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila.

A total of 12 teams from the UAAP, NCAA, Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao comprise the field divided into four pools in a single-round elims with the top two teams advancing to the knockout playoffs.

NU, the UAAP Season 86 champion and winner of the first two SSL pre-season championships, banners Pool A with Enderun Colleges and Xavier University-Northern Mindanao Selection.

St. Benilde, the three-peat NCAA queens with 40 straight wins and counting, leads Pool D with runner-up Letran and University of San Carlos while Pool B has UAAP runner-up Santo Tomas, University of Batangas and Team SOCKSARGEN.

Completing the fray are UAAP semifinalist Far Eastern U, NCAA semifinalist Lyceum of the Philippines University and CESAFI champion University of the Southern Philippines Foundation in Pool C.

La Salle, the reigning SSL National Invitationals Champion, begged from the tourney due to player injuries.

A simple opening ceremony is set at 11 a.m. after the curtain-raiser between USC and Letran as NU, led by UAAP MVP Bella Belen, tests the mettle of Enderun at 12 p.m. followed by the matches of UB-UST at 2 p.m. and USPF-FEU at 4 p.m.

“Let’s look forward to this genuinely exciting and competitive league,” said Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc., (ACES) chairman Dr. Philip Ella Juico.

“We always believe that we can play a part in developing women’s volleyball so we always look forward to the SSL. It provides opportunities for all players to compete with the more popular universities,” added Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. (SPAVI) CEO Vic Gregorio.