THE Premier Volleyball League has unveiled a unique, exciting tournament format for the 2024-25 All-Filipino Conference.

After the preliminaries, all the clubs will be ranked from 1 to 12 according to the FIVB Classification system.

In the qualifying round, teams will be paired according to their final ranking from the preliminaries, with the matchups as follows: Rank 1 will face Rank 12, Rank 2 will compete against Rank 11, Rank 3 will go up against Rank 10, Rank 4 will take on Rank 9, Rank 5 will challenge Rank 8, and Rank 6 will square off against Rank 7, with the winning clubs advancing to the next stage of the competition.

The losing sides will drop to the play-in tournament.

In the play-in tournament, losing teams from the qualifying round will have another chance to advance to the next round, with clubs ranked according to their preliminary round standings; the highest-ranked team will be designated as Rank 7 and the lowest as Rank 12.

The tournament will consist of two groups: Group 1 will include Rank 7, Rank 10, and Rank 11, while Group 2 will consist of Rank 8, Rank 9, and Rank 12.

Each group will play a single round, with the top team from each group qualifying for the playoffs, where the Group 1 winner will become Rank 7 and the Group 2 winner will become Rank 8.

The quarterfinals will be a best-of-three series with the winners advancing to the round-robin semifinals.

In case of a tie in the semifinal round, a play-off match will be played to determine the finalists.

The championship series is a best-of-three affair.

The six-month All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to open on Nov. 9, with a restructured calendar designed to align with the international FIVB schedule.

Choco Mucho, with Sisi Rondina back in its fold, begins its redemption arc against PetroGazz in the 6:30 p.m. mainer at the Philsports Arena.

At 4 p.m., Akari, a team that impressed many in the recent Reinforced Conference, will test the mettle of Galeries Tower.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Theodore P. Jurado