MANILA, Philippines – Inching closer to a return to pre-pandemic rituals will highlight the Premier Volleyball League (PVL)’s All-Filipino Conference, which is set to open on Saturday, February 4, at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

According to tournament director Tonyboy Liao, the PVL will bring back the pre-game and post-game handshake and the side change every set.

“We will do again the protocols that had been happening before the pandemic. During the match, when both teams are introduced during the pandemic, both teams take a bow… but now, you go straight to the opponent and shake hands with them,” Liao said during the PVL press conference on Saturday, January 28.

“There will be alcohol bottles (disinfectant) provided, and after the final point, there will be another handshake just like the old times,” he added.

Another minor but noticeable change is the name shift from “Open” to “All-Filipino,” to indicate that the conference will only feature Filipino and Fil-foreign players.

Nine teams will be back in the fold in a single round-robin eliminations, where the top four will be playing in another round-robin semifinals.

The top two semifinalists will advance to the best-of-three championship series, while the bottom two will duke it out for the best-of-three bronze medal affair.

Numerous changes in player and coaching composition dominated the offseason, including the transfer of Dindin Santiago-Manabat to upstart Akari, and the hiring of former men’s head coach Dante Alinsunurin to Choco Mucho.

The tournament is expected to run until March before giving way to the national team’s preparations for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia this May.

Sports Vision president Ricky Palou said he’s also excited for the busy offseason and assured fans of quality games for the season-opening conference.

“I’m sure, all the teams now will be more competitive than in the past. I’m sure the fans will enjoy this,” remarked Palou.

“Even myself, I’m expecting the games to be more exciting this time. The teams have recruited players to strengthen their lineup so we expect a really good All-Filipino Conference this time around.” – Rappler.com