PVL Invitational – no easy road

MANILA, Philippines — The PLDT High Speed Hitters will open their PVL Invitational Conference title defense on Monday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum – a campaign that, by all accounts, will be a survival of the fittest.

“Teams are stacked,” said PLDT team manager Bajjie del Rosario, whose Manny V. Pangilinan-owned franchise faces EST Cola of Thailand in its opening match.

And he has a point. The three other local squads have all beefed up in the offseason, not to mention the addition of two competitive foreign guest teams, including one from Vietnam.

Creamline, for one, signed Japanese star Sachi Minowa to a one-conference deal and remains one of the teams to beat.

Nxled also made major moves, inheriting former Petro Gazz champions Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips and Myla Pablo, while tapping veteran setter Gel Cayuna from Cignal.

Farm Fresh, likewise, shored up its roster with key additions from Chery Tiggo and Cignal, and enlisted decorated Japanese coach Koji Tsuzurabara.

Adding to the challenge is the compressed format of the short conference, with games slated almost daily.

“It won’t be easy, especially with the schedule. It’s really survival of the fittest,” Del Rosario said.