Before the Premier Volleyball League shifts its attention to the serious business of its regular tournament, it can look back on an On Tour campaign that took the game closer to its fans-and ended with a memorable final stop in Negros Occidental.
Victorias City provided a fitting sendoff.
Some 7,000 fans packed the Victorias City Coliseum for the tour finale, where familiar stars Alyssa Valdez and Ara Galang turned back the clock with vintage performances and Jaja Santiago-Minowa marked her return to official PVL action after five years away.
Valdez and Santiago-Minowa helped Creamline sweep Galeries Tower, while Galang powered Farm Fresh past Capital1 in the curtain raiser.
For Santiago-Minowa, the appearance was particularly significant. The 6-foot-4 middle hitter played her first official PVL match in five years and immediately became one of the Cool Smashers’ key pieces in their straight-set victory over the Highrisers.
The stop also gave Negrense players an opportunity to perform before their provincemates, adding a hometown flavor to the final leg of a tour built around bringing PVL volleyball to communities outside its usual venues.
The Victorias City event was organized by GRID Sports Athletic in partnership with the city and with the support of Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Javi Benitez.
‘As someone born and raised in Victorias City, bringing the PVL home is deeply personal to me,’ GRID Sports Athletic president Bea Tan said. ‘Since 2017, GRID Sports Athletic has worked to bring high-level volleyball closer to communities across Negros.’
For Tan, the turnout was also a sign of the appetite for major sporting events in the province.
‘Seeing thousands of Negrenses come together for this event proves that our province is ready for more major sporting events and that sports can bring pride, opportunity and real economic value to our communities,’ she said.
For the fans, the final stop offered a rare chance to watch some of Philippine volleyball’s biggest names up close. For the players, it provided another opportunity to connect with young athletes they hope to inspire.
And for the PVL teams, the tour served another purpose.
With the exhibition matches now behind them, the memories of packed provincial venues give way to the competition that counts.