The Philippine Superliga (PSL) Grand Prix is set to finally commence on February 29 at the Filoil Flying-V Centre in San Juan City after a one-week postponement due safety concerns over the covid-19 virus outbreak.
At the league's press conference held Tuesday, PSL officials, along with representatives from all eight teams and the imports seeing action in this season's inaugural offering, had their opportunity to share with members of the media about what lies in store.
"After consultation with our league physician and all the teams, we will finally be pushing through with our opening ceremonies and games next Saturday," PSL president Dr. Ian Laurel announced. "There will be precautions taken to ensure the safety of everyone but we are definitely a go for the 2020 Grand Prix."
The schedule which will see a maximum of 33 playdates covering a maximum of 68 games was also released to the media along with the 16-player roster for all eight teams.
The gamedays will now be on Tuesdays and Saturdays with the weekend schedule having as many as three games.
"This schedule change will allow players to have more time to rest and avoid injuries," Laurel said.
There are many burning questions heading into the new season and ESPN5.com has narrowed it down to the five most pertinent.
For the first time since its inception, the Grand Prix will only have one foreign player per team. How does this change the landscape of the competition?
With the Grand Prix sometimes featuring up to three imports to a team, the league chose to highlight the talents of the local volleybelles and allow more opportunities for teams to mix and match any given match-up by allowing 16 players per team but only 14 to play during a game. This move makes gameplay less reliant on the strength of imports. There are only two returning foreign reinforcements this conference in Lindsay Stalzer of F2 Logistics and Kat Bell of the defending titlists Petron.
The new faces are 6'2" Tatjana Bokan of Montenegro (Chery), Cuba's Jennifer Yanet Alvarez (Cignal), her 19-year-old compatriot Elizabeth Vicet Campos (Generika-Ayala), Croatia's 6'4" middle hitter Hana Cutura (Marinerang Pilipina), French opposite hitter Maeva Orle (PLDT), and Shainah Joseph of the Canadian national team (Sta. Lucia).
How much will the new Mikasa volleyball change the dynamic of the game?
Bell describes the new ball as slightly softer and easier to grip-which is vital for those who apply spin on the ball during service. Stalzer claimed that feels the new ball is a bit smaller although the dimensions have not changed. The new design is said to make the ball more aerodynamic in flight but faster as it is hit, prompting many teams to focus on reception and digging drills just to familiarize with the ball's new characteristics.
With most teams undergoing major overhauls to their line-ups, will there be a shift in power in the Grand Prix?
Reigning queens Petron only have six returning players (including Bell) from their championship squad in 2019. Many aficionados predict a period of adjustment for the Blaze Spikers as even the coaching staff is new with the departure of erstwhile mentor Shaq de los Santos, who is now an assistant with the Cignal HD Spikers. Replacing de los Santos is the legendary Emil Lontoc who-at the age of 70-will be making his PSL debut with what he refers to as "all the right pieces" heading into their title defense.
Chery Tiggo Crossovers, formerly known as the Foton Tornadoes, did not list the vaunted Santiago sisters in their official roster (they are said to be joining the team later in the tournament) but have pulled off a major coup by acquiring heavy hitting Janine Navarro and national team mainstay Mylene Paat from the Cignal HD Spikers.
Cignal, for their part, not only inked de los Santos to a one-year deal to be the deputy of Edgar Barroga but also added depth in their wing position with the signing of former Generika-Ayala stalwart Fiola Ceballos and former United Volleyball Club (UVC) lefty Jinggay Bangad. The HD Spikers along with F2 Logistics have the most intact line-up with the Cargo Movers losing only their college players and Fritz Joy Gallenero (now with Petron).
While Generika-Ayala may have lost Ceballos to Cignal, they did acquire five new faces including erstwhile Foton skipper Mina Aganon and Petron's iconic playmaker Rhea Dimaculangan while Marinerang Pilipina brings in an intriguing mix of league veterans in former national team center Gen Casugod and former Sta, Lucia reserve Souzan Raslan and young talents in Perpetual Help's Colleen Bravo and floor patroller Carly Hernandez.
PLDT assistant coach Clint Malazo made it clear to the media that the unflappable Coach Roger Gorayeb will still be holding the reins of the squad although he is still undergoing treatment for the multiple myeloma that sidelined him for the remainder of last season. Gorayeb will now be working with a new young wing combination in Necelle Gual and veteran Menchie Tubiera while Sta. Lucia brings back only half of its roster from 2019 in what is now starting to appear as a full blown rebuil, but with several solid pieces.
With Cignal and F2 Logistics practically intact, are they favorites to contest the crown?
A (finally) healthy Kim Fajardo working with Stalzer and All-Filipino Conference MVP Kalei Mau could be the most daunting task that the opposition needs to check, but with Kim Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron and "Miss Everywhere" Dawn Macandili also in tow, the Cargo Movers are now picked as the favorites to win it all. The "Gonzaquis" tandem of national team mainstay Jovelyn Gonzaga and skipper Rachel Anne Daquis along with Alvarez and Alohi Robins-Hardy could also make Cignal a team to watch. The six other teams during the press conference all hinted at making the semifinals to be a modest goal, but this could still be one of the more unpredictable conferences in the league's seven year history.
Will Sta. Lucia's revamped roster translate into a deep run?
Seven players remain from last year's roster for the Realtors, which means that nine new additions are set make headlines under new coach Edison Orcullo. Among the new recruits, Mika Reyes was immediately touted to be a game-changer because of her vast championship experience with both F2 Logistics and Petron. The return of original setter Djanel Cheng to replace the departed Rebecca Rivera (now with Petron) bolsters the chances of Sta. Lucia along with talented spikers in Royse Tubino (formerly of Cignal) and the UVC duo of Marge Tejada and Bang Pineda. A healthy MJ Phillips and Alex Bollier round up a roster now reinforced not only by Joseph but new Fil-Am acquisition Atty. Jessica Vestal, a 5'11" outside hitter out of the Belmont Bruins program in California where she was a consistent Dean's Lister. The Lady Realtors saw action in the Mayor Maliksi Cup in Imus, Cavite (along with Cignal and Generika-Ayala) a few weeks back and some players said it did wonders for their cohesion and chemistry.
"The (Mayor Maliksi Cup) was a good learning experience for us," Bollier said. "What was great about that is that we now know that we're only beginning to tap into our potential as we grow as a team. We're expecting a podium finish this season."
Whether the Realtors can translate their new combination into consistent performances on the court during a long season remains to be seen, but they do have all the components in place a lot sooner than most of its previous incarnations.