Pro Volleyball League to start today

The first 12 matches will be held here while six games, including the semi-finals and the final, will be played in Chennai. To make the game faster and spectator-friendly, the round-robin matches will have five sets and the first to reach 15 points shall win the set. The winning team will be awarded two points.

If a side wins 5-0, it will be called a ‘Whitewash’ and the victor will be awarded three points for its effort. In the play-offs, each set will consist of 25 points. Also, new concepts like ‘Super Serve’ and ‘Super Point’ have been introduced to make the league exciting. Each ace served will give the serving team two points.

The presence of foreign stars like David Lee (Kochi Blue Spikers), former Olympic gold medallist, Novica Bjelica (Ahmedabad Defenders), Paul Lotman (Calicut Heroes) and Rudy Verhoeff (Chennai Spartans), among others, is expected to add to the league’s appeal. According to Blue Spikers captain, Mohan Ukkrapandian, the PVL would provide a platform for Indian players to compete with some of the best who have graced the sport.

“The PVL is a much-needed boost as it gives us a platform to compete with the best in the world. I really hope the fans take to the league in a fitting manner,” he said. Chennai Spartans skipper Shelton Moses was upbeat about his team’s prospects and said the first target is to reach the play-offs.

“We have a strong team put together, with the right balance of experience and youth. Our aim is to make it to the play-offs, so that we can take advantage of the home support during the second leg in Chennai,” said Moses.