The individual awardees of the 2024 Spikers' Turf Invitational Conference. PVL Media
MANILA -- After a successful staging of its 2024 season, Spikers' Turf is now shifting its attention to supporting the country's bid in next year's FIVB Men's Volleyball World Championship.
Tournament director Mozzy Ravena has vowed that the men's professional league will be aligned with the Philippine National Volleyball Federation as it hosts the Worlds in September.
READ: Alas Pilipinas Men pooled with Iran, Egypt, Tunisia in FIVB World Championship
"Pinag-uusapan namin, kasi we have to align everything with the Men's World Championship," said Ravena after Cignal HD clinched the Invitational Conference crown last week. "So kakausapin pa namin para aligned lahat tayo."
"Kasi syempre very supportive naman kami of 'yung national team players natin," she added.
It is expected that the bulk of the Alas Pilipinas team that will compete in the Worlds will come from Spikers' Turf squads.
While mainstays like Marck Espejo and Bryan Bagunas earned their share of the spotlight earlier in the year, plenty of new stars emerged from the men's league as the season progressed.
Notably, Jude Garcia of Criss Cross has cemented his place as one of the best players locally after earning Most Valuable Player honors in the Open Conference and repeating the feat in the Invitational.
READ: Criss Cross' Jude Garcia earns another MVP plum
Players like Francis Saura and Rash Nursiddik of D'Navigators, Peter Quiel of PGJC-Navy, and Cian Silang of Cignal also stepped up, taking on bigger roles in their respective teams.
Though Bagunas and Espejo were absent in the Invitationals, the league remained thrilling, with Garcia continuing his dominant performance on his way to securing a second consecutive MVP award.
A new wave of rising talents emerged, including Louie Ramirez (Cignal), Gian Glorioso (Criss Cross), Sherwin Caritativo (Savouge), Giles Torres (Savouge), CJ Segui (VNS), and Dryx Saavedra (FEU-DN Steel).
Ramirez stood out amidst Cignal's stacked roster, leading the team to its eighth consecutive championship and earning the prestigious Finals MVP award.
READ: HD Spikers make quick work of Criss Cross for Invitational crown
"Even if it's a short one, I think it's very successful kasi marami na naman tayong players na nakita like si (Louie) Ramirez, MVP of the Final, it's just so much fun and alam mo 'yung men's game kasi medyo different siya doon sa women's," Ravena said.
Glorioso, on the other hand, stepped up in the absence of veteran Kim Malabunga, who suffered a freak injury just minutes before their debut but later returned in the tournament. The former Ateneo Blue Eagle made an immediate impact, eventually earning his first Best Middle Blocker award.
Caritativo exploded onto the scene, leading the Spin Doctors to a bronze finish and claiming the 2nd Best Outside Spiker award. His teammate Torres, meanwhile, proved to be a dominant force at the net, bouncing back from a challenging stint with the HD Spikers to become one of the league's Best Middle Blockers.
Segui was one of the bright spots for the young but feisty Griffins, while Saavedra continued his rise after their title run in the V-League Men's Collegiate Challenge.
"May sarili rin siyang audience and as you can see, dumadami na rin and I'm so happy. 'Yung aura lang ng mga boys, 'yung Criss Cross natalo sila today but you can see them ano lang, bawi lang kaagad. It's really generally a happy occasion for everyone," said Ravena.