For the first time in its modern history, the Premier Volleyball League and its men’s counterpart Spikers’ Turf are taking their season launch out of Metro Manila, and they picked Cebu. The two leagues will open their landmark 10th season on Oct. 10 at the newly opened SM Seaside Cebu Arena, a blockbuster triple-header that organizer Sports Vision Management Group expects to draw a record crowd.
A Creamline-Akari clash caps the Cebu opener
The opening card at the Queen City of the South stacks three matches in one afternoon. Choco Mucho and Capital1 get things going at 1 p.m., followed by the marquee Creamline-Akari showdown at 6 p.m. before a Spikers’ Turf tiff completes the day.
- 1 p.m.: Choco Mucho vs. Capital1 (PVL)
- 6 p.m.: Creamline vs. Akari (PVL, featured match)
- After: A Spikers’ Turf matchup to close the triple-header
Why the milestone season is going to Cebu
The decision to stage the season launch outside the capital underscores how Cebu has become a premier volleyball hub, and it is a fitting backdrop for a 10th-season celebration. The arena itself is new: it broke ground in 2021 and officially opened to the public last July.
Sports Vision has leaned into the region’s talent pipeline. Among the PVL players with Cebuano roots are Choco Mucho’s Sisi Rondina (Compostela), Deanna Wong (Minglanilla) and Isa Molde (Catmon), plus Creamline’s Barbie Jamili, Capital1’s Khy Cepada, Farm Fresh’s Lorene Toring and Pierre Abellana, Nxled’s Krich Macaslang and PLDT’s Shiela Kiseo. On the men’s side, former Cignal standout Edward Ybañez and VNS’ Jayvee Sumagaysay fly the Visayas flag in Spikers’ Turf.
| Cebuano stars | Team |
|---|---|
| Sisi Rondina | Choco Mucho |
| Deanna Wong | Choco Mucho |
| Isa Molde | Choco Mucho |
| Barbie Jamili | Creamline |
| Khy Cepada | Capital1 |
| Lorene Toring / Pierre Abellana | Farm Fresh |
| Krich Macaslang | Nxled |
| Shiela Kiseo | PLDT |
Grassroots groundwork behind the move
The Cebu staging is not a one-off. Last year Sports Vision launched the V-League Visayas, a collegiate competition of six men’s and six women’s teams all affiliated with CESAFI, then expanded the circuit to a Panay-Negros edition in Passi City, Iloilo last July. Those developmental leagues are building the regional player pool that can eventually graduate to the professional ranks.
The 10th-season picture
The Cebu launch lands as both leagues celebrate a decade of growth. Creamline has been the team to beat through the ongoing PVL Invitational, sitting one win away from the finals, and the Invitational title race is wide open heading into the season’s biggest stage yet. A full slate that brings the sport’s top names to a fresh arena in the Visayas, Sports Vision says, is both a celebration of a decade of league-building and a statement of where Philippine volleyball is headed beyond the capital.
