DE LA SALLE University makes its long-awaited return after a lengthy seven-year absence to the Shakey’s V-League this season.
The Lady Spikers inclusion on the roster is expected to add more spice to the V-League’s 12-team Collegiate Conference, which unwraps on July 4.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball powerhouse, which last participated in the league’s second conference in 2008, will also be represented by their male counterparts in the Spikers’ Turf second conference, which features collegiate squads with two guest players in the fold.
The development was revealed by league officials Moying Martelino, Ricky Palou and Tonyboy Liao in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate.
Also on the roster are National University (NU), University of Santo Tomas (UST), Far Eastern University (FEU), University of the Philippines (UP), Arellano University, San Sebastian College), DLSU-Dasmariñas and Ateneo de Manila University.
Making up the cast in the Spikers’ Turf are NU, UST, FEU, UP, SSC-R, College of St. Benilde, Rizal Technological University, University of Perpetual Help System Dalta, Adamson University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, De La Salle and Ateneo. Despite the high demand from collegiate squads to join the country’s premier volleyball tournament, league officials had to limit the number of participants to 12 in both divisions to accommodate a single-round-robin format.
The women’s games will be played Saturdays and Sundays and will be aired live over GMA News TV. The Spikers’ Turf tournament will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays, with the league hoping that current TV coveror—PTV-4—will start showing the games live.