Zus Coffee replaces Kurashiki Ablaze in PVL Invitational

Zus Coffee has taken Kurashiki Ablaze's place in the 2025 PVL Invitational Conference after the Japanese squad withdrew due to an internal issue involving their head coach.

Ablaze Co. Ltd.'s representative director, Daisuke Watanabe, stated that head coach Hideo Suzuki may have allegedly committed a serious compliance violation as per the Japan Volleyball League regulations, leading Kurashiki's withdrawal and suspension of team activities until further investigation.

The league has invited Farm Fresh to complete the tournament lineup but due to manpower issues and lack of readiness, Frank Lao, owner of Farm Fresh, decided to field ZUS Coffee instead.

Ablaze Co. Ltd. expressed regret and apologized for any inconvenience caused by their last-minute withdrawal before the start of the tournament.