We’ll be treated to a series of high-level volleyball matches once the 2025 AVC Men’s and Women’s Champions League tips off this April.
Asia’s top club teams will be battling for supremacy once the 2025 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Men’s and Women’s Champions League fires off this April starting with the women’s division.
Originally set for Seoul, South Korea, the women’s championship will now be held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig from April 20 to 27, while the men’s division will be played across Kyoto and Osaka in Japan from May 11 to 18.
Three PVL teams in the Creamline Cool Smashers, Petro Gazz Angels, and PLDT High Speed Hitters will be carrying the flag in the women’s division after topping the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino Conference preliminary rounds.
“Mas malaking tulong ito sa Philippine volleyball kasi syempre makakuha tayo ng techniques tsaka mga high-level competitor talaga na kalaban. So mas maganda kung tatlo tayo, kasi Philippines naman ‘yung lalaban,” Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses said of the upcoming homestand.
Over in the men’s side, Alas Pilipinas are expected to compete as the Cignal HD Spikers in their bid to gain added exposure ahead of the FIVB Men’s World Championship to be held in Manila this September 12 to 28.
Who will our representatives be facing?
As the Philippines’ top-ranked bets, Creamline and Petro Gazz were given the number one seeds in Pool A and Pool B, respectively, while PLDT was drawn into Pool D of the AVC Champions League.
Accompanying Creamline in Pool A will be VC Zheytsu, a Kazakhstan-based club that has topped their domestic leagues, along with Jordan’s Al-Nassr. Petro Gazz, meanwhile, will be accompanied by Taiwanese champs Taipower, and Hong Kong’s Hip Hing Women’s Volleyball Team.
It’s the High Speed Hitters who will be in a tough Pool D, which includes Thai powerhouse Nakhon Ratchasima QminC QminC VC, and reigning Australian Volleyball Super League champs Queensland Pirates.
Similarly, a stacked pool awaits Cignal-Alas Men, with their Pool D being bannered by host team Osaka Bluteon from Japan. The Bluteon is the club team of Japan national team stalwarts Yuji Nishida and Tomohiro Yamamoto, and previously faced Alas Men in a pair of exhibition matches in September last year.
Completing Pool D on the men’s side will be a Chinese powerhouse in the Shanghai Bright Volleyball Club.
Here are the rest of the pools for both divisions:
Women’s Pool C: BAIC Motor Volleyball Club (China), VTV Vinh Binh Dien Long An (Vietnam), Iran’s Vollyball Club
Men’s Pool A: Suntory Sunbirds Osaka (Japan), Al Rayvan Sports Club (Qatar), Aqtobe VC (Kazakhstan)
Men’s Pool C: Iran’s Volleyball Club (Iran), Taichung Bank (Taiwan), Nakhon Ratchaisma QminC VC (Thailand)
What is the competition format?
A single round-robin will be used for the elimination rounds, with the top two teams per pool advancing to the knockout quarterfinal rounds. From here, the winning teams will move on to the semifinals, which will determine the finalists for the gold medal match.
Meanwhile, losing semifinalists will be competing in the bronze medal match for one last shot at a podium finish.
Who will be the imports?
For now, only Creamline has revealed one of its target imports in Erica Staunton, the fan-favorite reinforcement who played for the Cool Smashers in the 2024 Reinforced and Invitational Conferences.
Staunton most recently played for the Jakarta Pertamina Enduro in the Indonesia Proliga following her stints with Creamline, and Oriveden Ponistus in Finland.
“Syempre number one diyan, ang wino-work namin is si Erica. ‘Yung iba wala pa since naka-focus talaga kami sa PVL ngayon, so hopefully makakuha naman kami ng magandang reinforcement,” Meneses said.
Up to three imports are allowed in the Champions League, but unlike the Cool Smashers, both PLDT and Petro Gazz will be facing some limitations in picking their imports.
Due to their current affiliation with Volleyball USA, Petro Gazz stars Brooke Van Sickle and MJ Phillips have been considered as “imports” in the regional meet, giving the Angels only one more slot for a possible import.
It’s a similar situation for PLDT, with Fil-Canadian star Savi Davison still being under Volleyball Canada as of writing. But on the other hand, the High Speed Hitters will have more wiggle room with two slots still dedicated to their Champions League reinforcements.
Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.