Just prior to the balls being launched around, the 2025 PVL Invitational was rocked by major drama.
Head Coach Scandal Sees Champs Go Home
The Kurashiki Ablaze, the defending champions from Japan, abruptly pulled out of the tournament due to an outrageous “serious compliance violation” supposedly committed by their head coach, Hideo Suzuki. The officials needed time to pause and do an inquiry so the team effectively had no option but to pack up quickly and leave.
Ping-Pong Invite: ZUS Coffee Arrives Late, Fills the Void
With a dog sitting there and a pickle to play, the PVL went mainstream. They first approached the Farm Fresh Foxies, but they could not play due to a missing roster for readiness to play. The ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles arrived too hot from a sixth-place finish and they filled the wildcard void.
Big shout out to them for having their gear packed up and being ready to play!