Nat’l college volleyball opens

AT LEAST 12 teams are set to see action in the men’s division while seven other squads will vie for top honors as the 2011 National Intercollegiate Volleyball Championship gets underway today in three separate venues.

Men’s defending champion Rizal Technological University and distaff crown holder De La Salle University are set to battle it out in the weeklong competition spearheaded by the Philippine Volleyball Federation.

Also expected to return to the Summer Capital are National College of Business Administration and National University.

On the distaff side, University of Perpetual Help, last year’s runner-up; newcomer University of Manila; and other squads from the UAAP are expected to participate.

Local squads who are set to challenge the visiting squads are the University of the Cordilleras, the 24th Baguio–Benguet Educational Athletic League defending champion, in the women’s volleyball crown.

Saint Louis University, BBEAL’s men’s volleyball champion, and the University of Baguio are also set to join the weeklong tournament.

The activity is an annual volleyball championship of the PVF, which is part of the grass-roots development program aimed to create opportunities for students to showcase and enhance their volleyball skills and abilities.

It will also give way for talent identification to be considered in the National Youth Volleyball Team.

There will be a single round robin in the preliminary round in both the men’s and women’s divisions with the top eight teams in each division advancing to the quarterfinal round.

The number 1 team after the quarters will then face the number 8 seed, the number 2 facing the number 7 seed, the number 3 going up against the number 6 seed and the number 4 seed battling the number 5 seed.

The winners of the knockout matches will then advance to the semifinal round in hopes of entering the finals of the tournament.

University of the Cordilleras, Benguet State University and Cordillera Career Development College will be the venues for the weeklong collegiate competition. (Roderick Osis)