By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Games Thursday
(City of Dasmariñas Arena)
4 p.m. – Galeries Tower vs Petro Gazz
6:30 p.m. – Farm Fresh vs Nxled
Teams can now field their imports in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference resumes on Thursday, Oct. 9, following the approval of their International Transfer Certificates (ITCs), thus ending an impasse.
Tension rose on Tuesday after league organizer Sports Vision called out the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) for delaying the endorsement of the ITCs, despite the timely submission of all necessary documents ahead of the conference opener on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
But both parties settled the issue the following day that enabled the foreign players, team supporters and owners to heave a sigh of relief.
The delay forced ZUS Coffee, Akari, Capital1, and Choco Mucho to field all-Filipino lineups in their opening matches.
In light of this development, the league announced that the four affected games will be replayed at a later date, which will be confirmed soon.
“This decision follows prior agreement among the participating teams, in the spirit of fairness, competitive parity, and delivering the best possible experience to our supporters,” the statement read.
“The upcoming replays will allow all teams to compete with their complete rosters, including their respective imports, ensuring the full excitement and high-level competition our fans expect,” it added.
With the ITCs now in place, foreign reinforcements including Fil-foreign players for the four teams playing at the City of Dasmariñas Arena are officially cleared to suit up.
Petro Gazz, the 2022 Reinforced Conference champion, squares off with Galeries Tower at 4 p.m., while Farm Fresh and Nxled tangle in the 6:30 p.m. nightcap.
Returning import Lindsey Vander Weide is expected to bolster the Angels along with Fil-Americans Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Philllips, and locals Myla Pablo, Aiza Pontillas and Chie Saet.
The Highrisers, for their part, will parade Jelena Cvijovic from Montenegro to join forces with Ysa Jimenez and France Ronquillo in their bid to eclipse their 11th place finish in the 2024 edition.
In the other matchup, Belgian star Helene Rousseaux is expected to power Farm Fresh’s campaign, bringing with her a wealth of international experience from stints in Turkey, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, South Korea and France.
Nxled, meanwhile, will lean on Spanish national team standout Paola Martinez, who also brings valuable international experience after having played in Romania, Poland, Belgium, Italy, and Cyprus.
