Joven looking to a better 2018 Ronda Pilipinas

Army-Bicycology's Cris Joven is set to improve on last year's effort at Ronda Pilipinas.

The thirty-year-old cyclist finished in third place behind the Navy-Standard Insurance duo of Jan Paul Morales and Rudy Roque, doing so with minimal preparation. This time, he enters the upcoming race with a lot of optimism.

In Filipino, he shares, "Compared to last year, I’m better prepared now so hopefully I could contend and challenge them again."

Complementing the Iriga native for Army-Bicycology are Alfie Catalan, Merculio Ramos, Jr., Marvin Tapic, Reynaldo Navarro, and Alvin Benosa, as Cris attemps to fend off both Jan Paul and Rudy, as well as other main contenders Santy Barnachea of Team Franzia and Irish Valenzuela of CCN Superteam.

The 2018 edition of Ronda commences at Vigan on March 3, with twelve stages that will traverse the island of Luzon until March 18. The race is presented by presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Cycling, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

A million pesos is at stake.

Go For Gold goes grassroots in Ronda Pilipinas

Go For Gold is fielding a couple of teams in the upcoming Ronda Pilipinas 2018 presented by LBC, in a two-pronged effort to not only be competitive, but also to serve as an opportunity to discover promising young racers.

Veteran campaigner Ronnel Hualda is taking charge of the developmental side, which is composed of Ismael Grospe, Jr., Ronian Quita, Roel Quitoy, Jay Lampawog, and Bryant Sepnio, as well as Joshua Mari Bonifacio and Jericho Lay Lucero.

Hualda says, "This is a team full of promise, because all of our riders have a potential to really blossom if given a chance."

Meanwhile, George Oconer is leading the charge for Go for Gold's main team, alongside Boots Ryan Cayubit, John Renee Mier, Jerry Aquino, Jr., Elmer Navarro, Jonel Carcueva, Orlie Villanueva, and Arjay Arbasto. The squad is expected to contend to not just the team title, but also the individual titles as well.

The Navy-Standard Insurance duo of last year's champion Jan Paul Morales and last year's runner-up Rudy Roque lead the cast of contenders for the Ronda title, which also includes former two-time champion Santy Barnachea of Team Franzia, 2012 champion Irish Valenzuela of CCN Superteam, and Army-Bicycology's Cris Joven, who finished third last year.

Participating teams also include Tarlac Province, South Luzon, Ilocos Sur Province, Nueva Ecija and Team Bike Xtreme.

The 2018 edition of Ronda Pilipinas will commence at Vigan with its 40-kilometer criterium in the historic city on March 3, with a 155.4km Vigan-Pagudpud Stage the next day.

From Pagudpud, the cyclists will travel 223.5 kilometers to Tugegarao for Stage Three on March 5, followed by Stage Four's 135.2k race from Tuguegarao to Isabela on March 6. After a day off, cyclists then forge on with the 179.4km Isabela-Nueva Ecija Stage Five on March 8 and the 111.8km Nueva Ecija-Tarlac Stage Six on March 9.

The Individual Time Trial is slated for Stage Seven for 31.5km on March 10, while the Team Time Trial is slated for Stage Eight for 42.14km on March 11. Both stages will take place in Tarlac.

Ronda Pilipinas concludes with the 207.2km Silang-Batangas-Tagaytay Stage Nine on March 15, the 147.8km Tagaytay-Calaca Stage 10 on March 16, the 92.72km Stage 11 that starts and ends in Calaca, and the final stage being the 50km Filinvest Alabang Stage 12 criterium on March 18.

Ronda Pilipinas is presented by LBC and supported by MVP Sports Foundation, CCN, Petron, Versa.ph, 3Q Sports Event Management, Inc., Boy Kanin, Franzia, Standard Insurance, Bike Xtreme, SH+, Guerciotti, Prolite, Green Planet, Maynilad, NLEX Cycling, Lightwater, LBC Foundation and PhilCycling.

PhP 1 million is at stake.

NCAA Season 93 Beach Volleyball: Perpetual, San Beda, EAC set pace

Just a week after claiming the indoor title, the duo of Rey Taneo and Joebert Almodiel have extended their dominance onto the sands, as Perpetual kicked off their quest to claim the NCAA Season 93 Beach Volleyball title in the past couple of days at the Boardwalk in Subic Bay.

The Altas duo raked in four straight wins, dispatching College of Saint Benilde (21-14 21-15), Jose Rizal University (21-14 21-8), Letran (21-17 11-21 17-15) and San Sebastian (21-18 21-13).

Not far behind the defending champions are Emilio Aguinaldo College and Lyceum. Both teams remain undefeated in three matches.

In the women's side, the duo of Jaylene May Lumbo and Glyka Mariz Medina of Emilio Aguinaldo College and the Viray twins of San Beda each remained undefeated after three matches to roost atop the leaderboard.

The Lady Generals dispatched Perpetual, Letran and San Sebastian, while the Lady Red Spikers defeated Mapua, College of Saint Benilde, and Arellano.

The NCAA Season 93 Beach Volleyball tournament is sanctioned by the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, Inc, and is supported by Chigo Airconditioning, MTC & Infoworks, Crab & Belly, SBHATSVB, Subic Park Hotel, Bayfront Hotel, Terrace Hotel, SBMA, Balipure, Mikasa, and SMART.

Soyud named as the Player of the Week

In leading Adamson to a victory against La Salle, Eli Soyud was selected by the UAAP Press Corps as its Player of the Week.

The opposite spiker finished with a game-high eighteen points out of thirteen kills, three blocks, and a couple of service aces, as the Lady Falcons ended their long losing streak against the Lady Spikers, 25-18 15-25 25-19 25-22. The streak started way back in Season 70, when Adamson beat them in second round that season.

She shared to the media after the game, "Bumalik ‘yung trust ko sa sarili ko siyempre ‘yung trust ng coaches sa akin parang naging buo ulit kasi nga mas nakakatulong ako hindi na parang dadalhin pa ako."

Adamson head coach Air Padda couldn't be any more prouder of the former Lady Spiker, who transferred from Taft to San Marcelino a few seasons ago, adding, "She had a rough start and now a lot of people want to underestimate her but then I never underestimated her. I know what Eli is capable of, she’s capable of a lot and man I’m so proud of her."

Soyud beat out National University's Jaja Santiago, Ateneo's Maddie Madayag, Far Eastern University's Bernadeth Pons, and La Salle's Dawn Macandili for the nod.

Arellano kicks off attempt at NCAA volleyball title double

NCAA Volleyball on S+A

The much-anticipated finals in NCAA Women's Volleyball kicks off later this afternoon, as Arellano attempts to defend its championship against San Beda LIVE on both S+A and S+A HD.

Both the Lady Chiefs and the Lady Red Spikers secured the twice-to-beat advantage in the eliminations, toting identical 8-1 records. They then took care of business in the Final Four, dispatching Perpetual and Jose Rizal University, respectively, last February 9 to set up this matchup.

Jovielyn Prado, Andrea Marzan, and Regine Arocha will have their hands full against Ces Racraquin, Yani Espiritu, and Jiezela Viray in their quest for a repeat, while denying San Beda a title in their first foray into the finals.

Preceding the women's volleyball finals is the men's volleyball finals, with the Chiefs seeking to upend the undefeated Perpetual Altas.

In between both matches are the awarding ceremonies for all three divisions in volleyball this season, capped off by Shola Alvarez being bestown the Most Valuable Player nod.

Coverage for today's volleyball matches will begin starting at 130pm.

Barcelona vs Eibar this weekend

Messi on a roll for the current La Liga leaders (photo c/o BeIN)

Spanish football on S+A continues this weekend, as FC Barcelona attempts put even more breathing room atop La Liga, as the Catalan giants travel to the Ipurua stadium against Eibar.

Telecast begins this Saturday at 11pm with the kickoff slated at 1115pm.

Barca is toting a seven-point lead over Atletico Madrid after 23 matches, although their last two league matches have resulted in draws. The match also comes just days away from their titanic matchup against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

As for the hosts, their back-to-back victories in league play have gotten them at the cusp of potential continental action next season, with 35 points putting them in seventh place.

Meanwhile, ABS-CBN Sports in the past couple of days have shown LIVE Champions League action, with the first leg of Round of 16 play.

Early Wednesday morning, football fans stayed up to see Tottenham snatch a 2-2 draw against Juventus in Turin, while early Thursday morning saw Cristiano Ronaldo make history by scoring his 100th goal for Real Madrid in Champions League play, as he led the defending champions to a 3-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain.

Televised Champions League action resumes next week with the aforementioned Chelsea vs Barcelona matchup as well as another English vs Spanish collision course in the form of Sevilla against Manchester United.

NBA touts Global Reach at 67th NBA All-Star

The NBA touts itself as a global league and with the NBA All-Star Weekend, it once again gets to flex its muscles and showcase its worldwide reach.

For starters, the 2018 edition of the NBA All-Star Weekend, which includes the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, and the All-Star Game itself, will be shown to fans in over 215 countries and territories, doing so in over fifty languages.

There are fourteen players of international descent who are participating in this special weekend, including the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Al Horford. Most of these players are taking part as members of the Team World in the Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars, which uses a USA vs the Rest of the World format for the fourth straight year.

The ten members of Team World come from nine different countries, with five of them being alumni of the Basketball Without Borders initiative, a collaborative program set up by both the NBA and FIBA.

The five BWB alums are: Embiid (BWB Africa 2011), Lauri Markkanen (BWB Europe 2014 / BWB Global 2015), Jamal Murray (BWB Global 2015), Frank Ntilikina (BWB Europe 2015 / BWB Global 2016), and Dario Saric (BWB Europe 2010).

The NBA is set to conduct its fourth BWB Global Camp at the Los Angeles Lakers' practice facility, with a cast of current and former NBA, WNBA, and FIBA players coaching the top 67 high school age campers from around the world, including nine prospects from the different NBA Academies, which is the league's network of elite basketball training centers it has set up around the world. Among the campers is our very own AJ Edu. Portions of the BWB Global Camp will be streamed LIVE on both the Facebook pages of the NBA and FIBA.

Fans will have a chance to get a glimpse of the NBA All-Star Media Day, as the league will be streaming this through mediaday.nba.com.

On the media end, there will be 515 international media members from 44 countries and territories covering NBA All-Star 2018, with ten international television networks and websites from China, France, Greece, Japan, Latin America, the Middle East, Poland, and Spain providing live on-site commentary.

This will also be a special moment for fans in central Asia, Indonesia, Japan, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey, as eight television networks will be making their first NBA All-Star broadcast remotely.

Indian fans will also get a first, with both the State Farm All-Star Saturday Night and the All-Star Game being broadcast with Hindi commentary.

Those who have NBA League Pass and the NBA App on their mobile devices can partake of the NBA All-Star experience, while NBA TV international will take fans in 138 countries and territories behind the scenes.

Aside from main All-Star events, there is also the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, presented by Ruffles. Notable participants include Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, actor Michael B. Jordan, and golfer Bubba Watson, among others.


There is a fan vote for the MVPs in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game (via SMS and Twitter), Mtn Dew Kickstart Rising Stars (via NBA.com, SMS, Twitter), and the All-Star Game (via NBA.com, SMS, Twitter).

A new wrinkle to All-Star Weekend is the NBA G-League Intenational Challenge presented by Kumho Tires. In lieu of the G-League All-Star Game, the NBA G-League USA selection will be facing the Mexico National Team at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Mexico is set to face off against Puerto Rico at Monterrey and travel to Havana to face Cuba during the FIBA World Cup Qualifying. The United States will be calling up players from the G-League to play its matches against Cuba and Puerto Rico at Santa Cruz.

Another new element in All-Star Weekend is the presence of international influencers, as they will participate in the NBA All-Star International Celebrity-Influencer All Access Program. Participants will be receiving behind-the-scenes access to the weekend's festivities.

Jaja Santiago named as Player of the Week

Jaja Santiago was bestown the latest Player of the Week nod by the league's Press Corps, after helping National University maintain its unbeaten record. She beat out Cherry Rondina of the University of Santo Tomas, Jema Galanza of Adamson, and Michelle Cobb of La Salle for the weekly honor.

The Lady Bulldogs rode on her impressive performance to secure a couple of victories this week to keep their unblemished 3-0 record.

On Wednesday, Jaja fended off a game Ateneo de Manila side, erupting for twenty spikes, four blocks, and a couple of aces to help power NU past the Lady Eagles, 25-19 25-19 20-25 12-25 15-7. She followed that up against UE on Sunday, netting 23 points in dispatching the still winless Lady Warriors, 25-15 18-25 25-22 25-19.

Although both matches saw the Lady Bulldogs drop a set or two, she managed to keep the team steady as they refocus and regain their confidence to secure the wins.

Santiago is currently the second-best scorer in the league so far, averaging 21.7 points. Only Rondina has a higher average at over 23 points per game. She also is second in the league in blocks at .92, only behind La Salle's Majoy Baron.

NU head coach Babes Castillo credits Santiago for not only providing the numbers on the stat sheet, but also stepping up to the plate when the team needs her the most as their captain.

“I think their captain responded right on the dot on what the situation is asking for,” said Castillo on Santiago. “The team has to go with the captain. You listen to your captain. Kung ano sinabi ng captain, go with your captain. That's it.”

Jaja shares, "Sinabi ko lang sa teammates ko is, 'yun nga, sabi ni coach, kailangan natin ibalik 'yung tatlo, which is ‘yung deserved respect for every point, stay 100 percent whistle to whistle and communication sa loob ng court."

The Lady Bulldogs are set to prove their point as title contenders this weekend, as they face defending champions La Salle on Sunday.

La Salle tops UP in UAAP women's volleyball

Lady Spikers

La Salle continues to impress in UAAP Season 80 women's volleyball, notching their second win by dispatching the University of the Philippines, 25-21 25-22 26-24 at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

The defending champions rode on the heroics of Michelle Cobb to defeat the Lady Maroons, securing the win by netting three straight service aces to end the game. The second year setter ended up with seven aces out of La Salle's sixteen, and ten points overall. She also tossed 32 excellent sets.

Kim Dy and Tin Tiamzon led La Salle with thirteen points each.

UP had been at the cusp keeping the game alive, reaching set point at 24-21. However, La Salle managed to save a couple of set points with a Majoy Baron quick and an Isa Molde error before Cobb's heroics.

La Salle now joins NU atop the standings with unblemished records at 2-0.

Gritty Lady Falcons survive vs FEU

Lady Falcons

It was Adamson's turn to end a long losing skid yesterday, as the Lady Falcons ended their hex against Far Eastern University in women's volleyball action Saturday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

To end a losing streak against the Lady Tamaraws that started in Season 78, the San Marcelino-based side eked out a 25-13 19-25 25-22 21-25 15-12 victory.

Jema Galanza starred for Adamson, netting herself a volleyball triple-double with 26 points, 15 digs, and 17 receptions, with Mylene Paat adding thirteen markers.

The Lady Falcons secured a much-needed break in the fifth, as FEU committed a couple of unforced errors to take an 8-6 lead, and even with Bernadeth Pons doing what she can for the Lady Tamaraws, Chiara Permentilla would provide some breathing room.

Galanza would then finish things off with a spike on Adamson's third matchpoint.

Pons would finish with 22 points, including 21 attacks out of 65 attempts. Chin-chin Basas added eighteen points, as both Adamson and FEU now tote 1-1 records each this season.

Majoy Baron named as inaugural Women's Volleyball Player of the Week

La Salle team captain Majoy Baron was named as the first-ever Player of the Week in women's volleyball by the UAAP Press Corps during the opening weekend, beating out Jaja Santiago of National University, Diana Carlos of the University of the Philippines, and Toni Rose Basas of Far Eastern University.

The reigning UAAP MVP led the charge with nineteen points, broken down into twelve spikes, five blocks, and a couple of aces, as the defending champions fended off the University of Santo Tomas in a grueling five-setter match, 25-20 17-25 25-22 15-25 15-8.

With Kianna Dy limited due to a hyperextended left knee, La Salle rode on Baron's leadership and steadiness to outlast the Tigresses. According to head coach Ramil de Jesus, "Marami kaming ginawang adjustments before the game kasi nga si Kianna may iniinda pang injury. So, malaking bagay na very consistent 'yung nilaro ni Majoy." He adds, "Veteran na 'yan si Majoy so alam niya na ang reponsibilidad niya sa court. As team captain, lumalabas talaga 'yung leadership niya lalo na sa mga bata niyang teammates."

Majoy admits that this season will be more challenging than previous ones, as she shares, "For me, marami pang kulang like sa pagje-jell ng team. Hindi pa ito 'yung maibubuga pa namin. Kailangan pa naming mag-improve as a team. Magandang nangyari na ito 'yung five-setter game na challenge sa amin as a team."

NCAA Final Four kicks off today

NCAA on S+A

The Final Four in NCAA Women's Volleyball kicks off today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, with S+A set to show these games LIVE at around 2pm.

Arellano and San Beda snagged the much-sought after twice-to-beat advantage after the eliminations, with Perpetual and JRU completing the foursome.

The first part of the doubleheader features the Lady Red Spikers of Ces Racraquin, Yani Espiritu, and the Viray twins against the Lady Altas of Lourdes Clemente, Necelle Gual, and Marijo Medalla.

The second part of the doubleheader features the defending champions that still touts its core of Jovy Prado, Andrea Marzan, and Regine Arocha seeking a return trip to the finals. They will face a Lady Bombers side that rode on the shoulders of potential MVP candidate Shola Alvarez, Karen Montojo, and Dolly Verzosa into the Final Four.

If Perpetual and/or JRU manage to win their respective matchups this afternoon, the decider will take place on Tuesday afternoon at the same venue. Otherwise, the Finals will begin on that day.

College Football returns on S+A

Televised collegiate football beckons tomorrow afternoon, as ABS-CBN Sports kicks off its UAAP Football broadcast with a double-header at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

The first televised football match of the season features the University of the Philippines against the University of the East, with kickoff pegged at 2pm.

Both teams are fresh from 1-0 victories last Sunday, and are looking to set the pace at the early part of the season.

The University of the East rode on Jasper Absalon's strike in the 81st minute against National University. In contrast, JB Borlongan's 75th wonder strike proved to be enough for the University of the Philippines against Ateneo de Manila.

The Maroons made it difficult for the defending champions, made even worse by a second half commotion that eventually resulted in Ateneo forward Sam Lim being sent off for a second yellow card in the 60th minute.

The other afternoon game of the day features Far Eastern University looking to bounce back from a disappointing opener against a La Salle side making their season debut.

The Tamaraws were drubbed by the University of Santo Tomas last Sunday, 4-0, falling victim to a Marvin Bricenio hat trick. The Green Booters, on the other hand, are looking to bounce back from the disappointment from last season. They are looking at veteran leadership from Noel Brago, Nicko Villacin at the back and from Jed Diamante up front as they seek to end the men's football title drought for Coach Hans Smit.

These matches will be shown LIVE on S+A, S+A HD, and Liga, as well as on sports.abs-cbn.com starting at just before 2pm.

Fans can also check out the action at the venue for just PhP 50.

In addition to the afternoon matches, there are also two games to be played as well at Rizal Memorial.

At 9am, Adamson makes their season debut against the Golden Booters of UST. The Falcons are seeking to build on the improvements since their return to collegiate football against the veteran strike force of head coach Marjo Allado.

Meanwhile at 630pm, the UAAP High School Football Title is to be decided between top seeds FEU-Diliman and a La Salle-Zobel side that had to beat newcomers Nazareth-NU in a playoff to earn a shot against the Baby Tamaraws. This particular match is going to be streamed LIVE online.

FEU breaks Ateneo curse, wins UAAP women's volleyball season opener

Far Eastern University ends years of frustration as they finally defeated Ateneo de Manila in their UAAP women's volleyball season opener, 19-25 25-21 1825 25-20 15-9, this past Sunday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The win snaps a losing streak that lasted five seasons and gave George Pascua his first win since being reappointed as the Lady Tamaraws head coach. The last time the Lady Eagles lost to FEU was back in the second round of Season 75.

Both Chin-chin Basas and Bernadeth Pons spearheaded the rally for FEU, each contributing fourteen points. Basas was especially crucial in the final set, as her two aces helped separate FEU from Ateneo in the final set, completing the victory after trailing 6-1. Basas would finish with six of the Lady Tamaraws' twenty aces.

Pons starred with volleyball's own version of the triple-double with thirteen digs and sixteen receptions, help FEU secure the fourth set to force the decider and set the stage for their comeback.

Ateneo was hampered with unforced errors, with eight coming in the final set to undo their strong start. Jhoana Maraguinot led the Lady Eagles with 21 points, while Kat Tolentino added fourteen. Deanna Wong contributed forty excellent sets as she attempts to fill the shoes of the departed-by-graduation Jia Morado. (c/o Kim Karlo Castro)

UP outlasts UE in UAAP women's volleyball

In the first game of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader at the Mall of Asia Arena, the University of the Philippines survived the University of the East in a five-set matchup, 25-19 25-13 21-25 16-25 15-8.

The Lady Maroons had to fend off the Lady Warriors, who did not give up after losing the first two sets as they won the next two to force a decider, noting their heavy serves and counting on UP's unforced errors, totaling 46 for the whole match vis-a-vis' UE's 31.

However, UP righted the ship, riding on Isa Molde and Tots Carlos in the final set to give their new head coach Godfrey Okumu a winning debut.

Carlos finished with 22 points, while Molde chipped in twenty points and seventeen digs as the duo led the way for the Lady Maroons.

Judith Abil led UE with a dozen points, while libero Kath Arado contributed 30 digs and 21 receptions. (c/o Kim Karlo Castro)

ABS-CBN Sports launches LIGA

Liga. Now available.

Those who have been channel surfing as of late would notice classic UAAP games being shown on one particular channel.

That channel is ABS-CBN Sports' new 24-hour sports channel. Called Liga, it will not only be the place to check out old UAAP matches, but also serve as the hub for the upcoming FIFA World Cup coverage.

Since January, viewers have been able to not only watch old UAAP games as early as those from UAAP Season 70, but also the European portion of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. And by serving as the main channel for the 2018 FIFA World Cup, sports fans have more reasons to tune in, according to channel head Jojo Neri-Estacio.

For the upcoming UAAP Season, they will be showing complete volleyball coverage, including the men's division. With S+A only showing the 10am men's games, Liga will be showing the 8am games as well. Liga will also be showing the other televised competitions in the UAAP.

Liga will also broadcast games from the ASEAN Basketball League as well as the Premier Volleyball League when it kicks off later this season.

Liga is available for SKY Cable (as Channel 86 in SD and 183 in HD) and SKY Direct subscribers (as Channel 14). Those in the provinces can check with their provincial cable affiliate for channel availability.

UAAP Season 80 Women's Volleyball kicks off

Coming this weekend

The much-anticipated second semester action in the UAAP formally kicks off this weekend at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Telecasts are slated on both S+A and its HD counterpart, with streaming options available via sports.abs-cbn.com and TFC.tv for overseas.

The league has been witness to superstars like Alyssa Valdez, Gretchen Ho, Cha Cruz, and Aby Marano, among many others. And this season won't be without the latest batch of sensations.

Kicking off women's volleyball play on Saturday is the matchup between Adamson and National University at 2pm, followed by La Salle against the University of Santo Tomas at 4pm.

Jema Galanza and the vastly improved Lady Falcons seek to put what they learned in the offseason into practice, going up against the Lady Bulldogs, who are hell-bent on giving Jaja Santiago a winning legacy in her final season.

As for the defending champions, the Lady Spikers refocus around Majoy Baron, Kianna Dy, and Des Cheng as they go up against the Lady Tigresses of Cherry Rondina.

The rest of the league plays on Sunday, with the University of the Philippines against the University of the East at 2pm, followed by Ateneo against Season 80 hosts Far Eastern University at 4pm.

The Lady Maroons will be under the helm of Godrey Okumu this season, replacing Jerry Yee, with their core of Diana Carlos and Ayel Estranero providing leadership alongside Isa Molde. As for the Lady Warriors, they look at their national team pool players in Roselle Baliton and Kath Arado to build the team up from their disastrous 1-13 record.

The Lady Eagles seek to make a return trip to the finals, with Maddie Madayag taking on the captaincy. They are looking to Ponggay Gaston to step up offensively alongside Bea De Leon, Kat Tolentino and Jhoana Maraguinot, as they pick up the pieces from the departure of Jia Morado and Michelle Morente. They will face a battle-tested Lady Tamaraws centered on the veteran leadership of Bernadeth Pons, Chinchin Basas, Buding Duremdes and Jerrili Malabanan.

The men's division will also get their action underway this weekend, with the Saturday morning doubleheader of Adamson vs NU at 8am and La Salle vs UST at 10am, followed by the Sunday morning doubleheader of UE vs UP at 8am and Ateneo vs FEU at 10am. The 10am games will be shown LIVE on S+A, while the 8am games will be LIVE on ABS-CBN Sports' new cable channel Liga (which is available on Sky as Channel 86 for SD and Channel 183 for HD, as well as Channel 14 on SkyDirect).