It's been a wild off-season for the Premier Volleyball League.
New year, new me? That's pretty much the case for almost all the teams in the Premier Volleyball League as they released players, signed big names, and snatched coaches left and right ahead of the All-Filipino Conference. It's been quite a ride. Here's the rundown of what has happened ahead of the February 4 season start.
Akari Chargers
The Akari Chargers are fairly new to the Premier Volleyball but they have gotten big names — such as Olympian Prisilla Rivera of the Dominican Republic as an import. Now in the All-Filipino Conference, the Chargers got a new guiding figure in Dindin Santiago-Manabat. Plus, Akari will always be a welcome nest for Adamson Lady Falcons such as Bang Pineda and Eli Soyud. They also snagged UST middle blocker Camille Victoria.
Chery Tiggo Crossovers
The Chery Tiggo Crossovers are looking to repeat that magic which led them to the 2021 Open Conference championship. Unfortunately, that formula won't be the same with the departure of Dindin Santiago-Manabat. But after the promising improvement from the 2022 Reinforced Conference and the reemergence of MVP Mylene Paat, things might be looking up for the Crossovers with opposite hitter Ponggay Gaston, middle blocker Seth Rodriguez, libero Bingle Landicho, and the return of Coach Aaron Velez.
Choco Mucho Flying Titans
Things are looking up for the Choco Mucho Flying Titans after a shaky end to 2022. After Coach Oliver Almadro stepped down in the middle of the Reinforced Conference last November, the ube girls also had to bid goodbye to longtime teammate Ponggay Gaston as well as Shannen Palec. The year 2023 though definitely looks different from the fan-favorite squad with the possible return of a full-force Maddie Madayag at the middle and the entry of champion tactician Dante Alinsunurin.
Can Coach Dante, who has led the NU men's team to two UAAP championships and the men's national team to a silver in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, help Choco Mucho finally step on to the podium?
Cignal HD Spikers
Team Awesome made a breakthrough in the 2022 Reinforced Conference, reaching the finals for the first time in the PVL after two straight conferences of settling for bronze. But it's not going to be the same Cignal HD Spikers for the All-Filipino.
The Cignal HD Spikers got lean and mean, releasing six players at the start of the year — Klarisa Abriam, Ayel Estranero, Angeli Araneta, Marist Layug, Joy Dacoron, and Arianne Layug. Instead, they beefed up their award-winning frontline of Roselyn Doria and Ria Meneses, adding middle blocker Gen Casugod from Akari. Cignal also picked up opposite hitter Toni Rose Basas from PLDT and setter Gyzelle Sy — a former Chery Tiggo player.
Creamline Cool Smashers
There were plenty of wheeling and dealing in the off-season, but defending champion Creamline Cool Smashers stayed quiet in the middle of it all. They didn't change their lineup despite falling short in the Reinforced Conference, ending their streak of finals appearances at seven. But there will be a stark difference for the All-Filipino though. Team captain Alyssa Valdez will be at the sidelines as she recovers from a knee injury. Can the Cool Smashers defend their title without their reliable receiver? And can Creamline improve its blocking while reducing its errors?
F2 Logistics Cargo Movers
The F2 Logistics Cargo Movers got all their share of hype heading into the PVL, coming in as champions from the Philippine Super Liga. However, they have yet to find success in the pro league. After an emotional message from import Lindsay Stalzer, F2 cleaned house and released Des Clemente, Chloe Cortez, Rem Castillo, Alex Cabanos, and Dzi Gervacio. Tim Tiamzon, a reliable scorer for the Cargo Movers, also announced her retirement from volleyball.
But F2 has a lot to look forward to. They have a new head coach in Regine Diego — who led the NU Lady Bullpups to a 14-0 sweep in the UAAP and a ward of their former tactician Ramil de Jesus, the return of Miss Everything Cha Cruz-Behag, a notable sign-up in 2018 Reinforced Conference MVP Myla Pablo, and a promising young gun in NU's Chinnie Arroyo.
Petro Gazz Angels
After successfully defending their Reinforced Conference title, the Petro Gazz Angels lost their head coach Rald Ricafort, star wing spiker Myla Pablo, libero Bang Pineda, and middle blocker Seth Rodriguez. But in one of the most shocking developments of the offseason, the Angels signed up Ateneo coach and former Choco Mucho tactician Oliver Almadro, along with middle blocker Des Clemente from F2. Will this be enough to sustain the momentum of Petro Gazz?
Philippine Army Lady Troopers
It's going to be a tough conference for the Philippine Army Lady Troopers. Former captain Jovelyn Gonzaga will be focusing on beach volleyball for the Southeast Asian Games, middle blocker Ging Balse-Pabayo is undergoing treatment, while opposite hitters Jem Gutierrez and Joanne Bunag are nursing injuries. They also lost opposite spiker Mich Morente to PLDT. So it will be up to veteran spiker Honey Royse Tubino, setter Ivy Perez, and libero Gelai Nunag to lead the Troopers to something better than a last place finish.
PLDT High Speed Hitters
The High Speed Hitters reached fourth place in the 2022 Invitational Conference, showing remarkable improvement from their 7th place finish in their 2021 Open Conference debut. But the promising development ended there, leading to the departure of Coach George Pascua. Now they're tapping a new braintrust, snagging champion coach Rald Ricafort and his assistant Arnold Laniog from Petro Gazz, Mich Morente from the Philippine Army, and Ysa Jimenez from UST. It remains to be seen if all these moves will be enough to turn around the fortunes of the High Speed Hitters.