The Premier Volleyball League has turned into a family affair with a familiar name in local women’s club volleyball joining the fray.
Foton announced its comeback on Thursday to become the newest team to make a professional debut in the mid-season Invitational Conference slated to begin on 29 June.
The Rommel Sytin-owned company now has two clubs competing in the third season of the country’s first and only women’s professional volleyball league with the addition of the Tornadoes alongside current pride Chery Tiggo.
Foton’s arrival hiked the number of sister teams in the PVL to three with Rebisco having multi-titled powerhouse squad Creamline and Choco Mucho while the Manny V. Pangilinan Group parades PLDT and Cignal.
This welcome development came days after the entry of two other expansion teams — Gerflor and Farm Fresh.
PVL now has a total of 11 teams in the fold for the second edition of the tournament which gives the Cool Smashers a more challenging campaign to defend its title.
Tournament director Tonyboy Liao was elated to have additional teams in the league.
“Of course, we at Sports Vision (PVL organizer) are very excited that now for the PVL Invitational we’re going to have 11 teams,” Liao told Daily Tribune on Friday.
“If Army didn’t back out, we should have 12 and that’s our target to have a maximum of 12 club teams all season long for the three conferences.”
Philippine Army took a leave of absence as most of its players are undergoing military training.
Liao expressed excitement about the gripping action, particularly the thrilling rivalry between sister teams.
“With regards to the sister company club teams, it’s getting more competitive like what Creamline and Choco Mucho do every time they play against each other,” said Liao, who also holds an influential position in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation as the national team commission head.
The Creamline-Choco Mucho rivalry has been drawing huge crowds, filling venues with their loyal fans each time they cross paths.
“Hopefully, the other sister teams like PLDT and Cignal as well as Chery Tiggo and Foton will be doing the same,” Liao said.
Foton, which was renamed as the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in 2020 in the defunct Philippine Superliga, made its return known through social media.
“Ready to take the court by storm. After four years, we’re making our club volleyball comeback! Stay tuned for more details,” the team wrote in an Instagram post.
The club’s post also contained a teaser of its possible players.
A source said that the Tornadoes’ roster will be composed mostly of Crossovers players who saw action in the All-Filipino Conference.
Chery Tiggo has a surplus of talented volleybelles following the acquisition of collegiate stars Eya Laure, Imee Hernandez, Jen Nierva, Ces Robles and Joyme Cagande.
Along with their reserves, the Crossovers have enough players to loan to the Tornadoes.
University of Santo Tomas head coach Kungfu Reyes, according to another source, will take over the Foton reins once he formally retires from military service next month.
The Tornadoes are expected to unveil its team composition in the coming days.
Foton has a storied background in club volleyball since joining the PSL back in 2014. The club ruled the 2015 and 2016 PSL Grand Prix and boasted with great talents bannered by sisters Jaja Santiago and Dindin Santiago-Manabat.
The Tornadoes also represented the country in the 2016 Asian Women’s Club Championship held in Biñan, Laguna where they finished seventh.
With the Santiago sisters at the helm, the rebranded Foton transferred to the PVL carrying the Chery Tiggo banner where it made history by becoming the first-ever professional club champion when it ruled the 2021 PVL Open Conference held in Ilocos Norte.
