The 4th edition of the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League (SGVIL) Rising Stars Cup kicks off on April 20 at the La Salle Green Hills gym, with a record 44 teams participating.
Defending champion National University-Nazareth School leads 20 teams in Division 1, while Division 2 reigning titlist Domuschola International School banners a 24-field that includes guest team Diverse Auckland Cubs.
“We’re continuing with having two divisions in the SGVIL. Since the establishment of the second division last year, more schools have approached us and expressed interest in joining the league. In fact, the teams have grown in number, record numbers. There are now 20 in Division 1 and 24 in Division 2, with a team from New Zealand joining as well,” said Dr. Ian Laurel, president of the league organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management Inc. (ACES) in a press conference on Wednesday at the Shakey’s Paseo de Magallanes.
“So, the interest at the high school level in joining the Shakey’s GVIL has exponentially grown, and it is an honor for us, a pleasure for us to be able to host them again this year,” he added.
Teams in Division 1 are divided into four pools with five squads each, while in Division 2, six squads are bunched in four pools.
NUNS, which defeated Bacolod Tay Tung in a five-set finale last year, spearheads Pool A alongside King’s Montessori, inaugural champion California Academy, Lyceum of the Philippines Academy and Bethel Academy.
Bacolod Tay Tung, a three-time runner-up, is in Pool B with Canossa Academy, Holy Rosary College, University of Perpetual Help System-Dalta and Immaculate Conception College.
De La Salle-Lipa, Far Eastern University-Diliman, University of the Philippines Integrated School, San Felipe Neri Catholic School and St. John’s Institute composed Pool C.
Pool D has 2024 champion Adamson University, Emilio Aguinaldo College, Chiang Kai Shek College, University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle Santiago-Zobel.
Domuschola International School, which won last year’s title over Everest International Academy, is in Pool E together with Miriam College, Corpus Christi School, Beacon Academy, MGC-New Life Christian Academy and San Beda University.
In Pool F are Everest International Academy, La Salle Green Hills, Diverse Auckland Cubs, Saint Pedro Poveda College, St. Theresa’s College-Quezon City, UST-B; Pool G has Immaculate Conception Academy-Greenhills, Assumption-Antipolo, NU-Nazareth School Team B, St. Jude Parish School, CCF-The Life Academy and PACE Academy, while Pool H is composed of St. Paul College-Pasig, La Salle Zobel-B, St. John Institute Team B, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo De Cebu, Bacolod Tay Tung Team B and University of Batangas High School.
Preliminary round matches in both divisions will be played in best-of-three sets. All frames, including the deciding set, will be played up to 25 points.
The top two teams in each pool will advance to the knockout quarterfinals. Both semifinal and final matches are one-game affairs and will be played in best-of-five sets.
As an incentive, the champions and runners-up from both divisions will be invited to join the SGVIL Invitationals alongside a couple of U.S. high school teams and a Japanese squad in July.
“When it comes to what’s in store for the winners, we are planning a special edition of the SGVIL Invitationals this coming July. We will invite the top two teams in both divisions to play against their US counterparts, who will be arriving this July,” said Laurel.
SGVIL games are available live and on-demand via PusoP.com livestream and Solar Sports.*PNA
