THE Invitational Confeence kicks off Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with four of the Premier Volleyball League’s (PVL) top clubs taking on powerhouse teams from Thailand and Vietnam in a six-squad sprint that promises little room for error.
Eleven-time league champion Creamline and defending titlist PLDT banner the Philippine side that includes Farm Fresh and Nxled in a six-day, single-round-robin battle against Thailand’s EST Cola and a new Ho Chi Minh City-based club from Vietnam.
Opening day action begins with PLDT’s clashing with EST Cola at 1:30 p.m., Nxled and Creamline squaring off at 4 p.m. and Ho Chi Minh taking on Farm Fresh in the 6:30 p.m. main event.
Duels on September features PLDT against Nxled at 1:30 p.m., Fresh against EST Cola at 4 p.m. and Creamline against Ho Chi Minh at 6:30 p.m.
On September 3, Farm Fresh and Creamline take the court at 1:30 p.m., Ho Chi Minh battles PLDT at 4 p.m. and EST Cola takes on Nxled at 6:30 p.m.
The September 4 triple-header pits PLDT against Farm Fresh at 1:30 p.m., Nxled against Ho Chi Minh at 4 p.m., and Creamline against EST Cola at 6:30 p.m.
The elimination round winds up on September 6 with Farm Fresh and Nxled meeting at 1:30 p.m., EST Cola facing Ho Chi Minh at 4 p.m. and Creamline and PLDT closing out the eliminations at 6:30 p.m.
All matches, including the championship, will be played at the Big Dome.
With three matches scheduled on each playdate and only the top two teams advancing to the championship, every game is expected to carry the weight of a virtual knockout as the field races to the finish.