The Premier Volleyball League is set to introduce new rules to shorten match durations for the upcoming Second All-Filipino Conference.
Sherwin Malonzo, the new PVL competition director, made this announcement during a press conference held at the Discovery Suites in Pasig City on Wednesday.
Malonzo noted, “Since the introduction of video challenges, our games have become longer, especially when matches go to five sets.”
The Second All-Filipino Conference will consist of three matches per playdate, starting with the first game at 3:00 p.m. and concluding with the final match at 7:00 p.m.
To achieve shorter games, the league plans to reduce technical timeouts from two to just one per set. This single technical timeout will be triggered when one of the teams reaches 13 points and will last for one to two minutes. Additionally, teams will have only one regular timeout and one 30-second timeout for each frame.
Malonzo explained, “For this upcoming conference, we will introduce a single technical timeout. When the first team reaches 13 points, we’ll have a technical timeout. It may last as briefly as one minute or extend to two minutes, depending on Cignal’s request.”
Coaches will now be permitted to communicate with their players and provide instructions during video challenges.
Regarding court changes, teams will switch courts only once during each game, immediately after the second set, with a three-minute break. Other breaks between sets will remain five minutes.
This change aims to give players more rest time and allow coaches to provide instructions and set up plays.
Malonzo emphasized, “We’ll change the court only once after the second set. Each set, except for the transition from the second to the third set, will have a three-minute break. When we switch courts from the second set to the third set, there will be a five-minute break to allow coaches ample time for instructions.”
In terms of the competition format, the league will maintain the format used in the previous All-Filipino Conference. This format involves all 12 teams participating in a single round-robin elimination.
The top four teams will progress to the semifinals. In the semifinal stage, the top-ranked team from the elimination round will face the fourth-ranked team, while the second-seeded team will compete against the third-placed team in a best-of-three series.
Malonzo clarified, “In the elimination round, all 12 teams will play against each other, resulting in approximately 66 matches. In the semifinals, the top four teams will be divided into one versus four and two versus three, playing in a best-of-three format. The winners will vie for the gold medal match, while the losers of the semifinals will compete in the second runner-up match, also in a best-of-three format.”
