Defending champion National University (NU) will be facing a strong challenge in the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup, which unfolds at the Playtime FilOil Center in San Juan City on Sept. 20.
A total of 16 teams, six from UAAP and all 10 from the NCAA, will fight for the crown in the fourth edition of the league’s centerpiece event.
De La Salle University, last year's runner-up, and the University of the East are skipping the tournament as both squads are still rebuilding their core after the departure of some key players.
“Even though we only have 16 teams, we still have a good lineup of up-and-coming teams with new players on their rosters. We want to showcase, for the very first time, how these players play with each other and against their respective opponents in their respective leagues,” said Dr. Ian Laurel, chairperson of SSL organizer Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc. (ACES), during Wednesday's press conference at the Shakey’s Buendia branch.
Also present were Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures, Inc. (SPAVI) president and chief executive officer Vic Gregorio, SPAVI general manager Oliver Sicam, SPAVI marketing head Regina Asa, PLDT and Smart Communications head of sports Jude Turcuato, ACES director Ariel Paredes, as well as coaches and key players of participating teams.
The 16 squads will be divided into four groups to play in a single-round robin format in the preliminaries.
Four-time champion NU is in Pool A together with Emilio Aguinaldo College, San Beda University, and Lyceum of the Philippines University.
"We will do our best and try to defend the title," said NU head coach Regine Diego.
Pool B is composed of Far Eastern University, Arellano University, Adamson University, and Jose Rizal University.
University of Santo Tomas, University of the Philippines, Mapua University, and Letran are in Pool C, while College of Saint Benilde, Ateneo de Manila University, San Sebastian College, and University of Perpetual Help System Dalta are in Pool D.
The top two teams in each pool will advance to the next round, where they will be divided into two groups for another round-robin play to determine their rankings in the quarterfinals.
The top two squads after the round will be armed with a twice-to-beat advantage in the crossover quarterfinals. The semifinals and battle for bronze are knockout affairs, while the championship round is a best-of-three series.
All players listed in a team’s roster will be fielded under the tournament’s unique all-to-play format.
“The all-to-play rule will be in effect because that's the trademark of our preseason,” Laurel said. “This is what the coaches are also looking out for. These will be the combinations they can use in preparation for their mother leagues. And we're excited to have this competition again."
The preseason Unity Cup is the culmination of another successful SSL season. SSL started the year with the record-setting staging of the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League, which saw the participation of 30 high school squads.
The league then brought elite collegiate volleyball action closer to fans with the three-leg National Invitationals held in Mindanao, the Visayas, and Luzon. The winners were NU (Davao), Adamson (Cebu), and FEU (Batangas).
"Together, let's make sure the preseason Unity Cup becomes a tremendous success and will be better than before, better than others and better than others," Gregorio said.
