Perpetual, EAC make initial headway in NCAA Beach Volleyball

The University of Perpetual Help System Dalta made early headway at the start of the NCAA Beach Volleyball Tournament on Tuesday at the Subic Bay Sand Court.

Mary Ann Dapol and Janine Padua defeated their counterparts from College of Saint Benilde in Jessa Dorog and Wielyn Estoque, 21-12 21-14 to start off their campaign, then took care of business against Cha Cuñada and Lara Mae Silva of Letran, 21-15 21-16.

They capped things off with a 21-8 21-12 triumph over Karyla Jasareno and Marianne Aloña.of Jose Rizal University to end the first day at 3-0.

Keeping in-step with the volleyball powerhouse is Emilio Aguinaldo College, who won both of their scheduled matches. The duo of Cathrine Almazan and Monna Bañares took down JRU, 21-14 21-14, then defeated Arellano's Harem Ceballos and Marianne Padillon, 21-10 21-12.

In spite of the defeat to UPHSD, Letran did manage to snap up a couple of wins in the morning, as they dispatched Francine Macatangay and Raina Vergino of Mapua, 21-13 21-15, as well as stunning defending champions San Beda, 21-18 21-17.

The Lady Red Spikers, composed of Trisha Paras and Max Tayag, did tack on a win with a 21-15 21-19 result against Arellano.

Also racking up a couple of wins is CSB to offset their loss to Perpetual, as they knocked off Lyceum's Joan Daguna and Ritanhelle Perez., 22-20 21-18, and San Sebastian's Kat Santos and Kristine Dionisio, 21-16 21-15.

On the men's side, EAC kicked off its quest for a third straight title with a couple of victories, as Ralph Pitogo and Joshua Ramilo defeated the duo of Reggie Quilban and Janer Prado of JRU, 21-16 17-21 16-14, and the tandem of Deon Colorado and Vergel Golloso of Lyceum, 21-14 21-13.

Perpetual currently is on top of the leaderboard, having secured three wins on the first day of action, with Louie Ramirez and Jefferson Marapoc taking care of Arellano's Adrian Villados and Arman Guinto, 16-21 21-13 15-10, followed by defeating Letran's Justin Alejandro and Christer Ambrosio, 21-17 26-24, and capping it off with a straight set victory over JRU, 21-11 21-17.

Nunag named as UAAP HS Commissioner

Xavier Nunag has been named as the commissioner for the UAAP Season 85 High School Boys basketball tournament, the league announced on Sunday.

A former student-athlete at the University of the Philippines and an assistant with Ateneo, Nunag replaces Richard Bachmann, who has taken on a bigger calling as the chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission just before the year ended.

When asked about the appointment, Nunag says, "I had to mull it over not too long because of the time constraints. Since I played and coached here in the UAAP, I just tried to give back and serve the league."

He adds, "It's a blessing. It's something that I'm not taking for granted. I played for UP from 1998 to 2002, coached in Ateneo during UAAP seasons 72 and 73, and then nag analyst pa ako and now commissioner, it's such a blessing."

Nunag's managerial skills were cited as a factor for his selection for the post, according to the league's executive director Atty. Rebo Saguisag.

"What he brings to the table is his managerial skills crucial to his position," Saguisag says. "In fact, he immediately buckled down to work and met key people several times in the short time given to him."

"I personally sat down with him twice and what stuck to me was his growth mindset," he added, noting that the decision to appoint Nunag came on Wednesday.

Nunag immediately buckled down to work with the start of the tournament on Sunday. He went out and introduced himself to the coaches and notified them that he is available to address any inquiries.

He shared on Sunday, "I had to know the league and ask ED for the updated rules and regulations. At the same time, I had to talk to the referees about what they see sa laro and the key points to improve on. What I'm doing now is approaching every coach and having a one-on-one talk with them."

Nunag acknowledged that he was also offered the role of commissioner for the upcoming 3x3 tournament, but bared that he's taking things one step at a time. He has experience with that particular role back in Season 82.

NU-Nazareth opens title defense

Games on Wednesday at the Filoil-Ecooil Centre
9:00 a.m. - FEU-D vs UE
11:00 a.m. - DLSZ vs Adamson
2:00 p.m. - UST vs NSNU
4:00 p.m. - Ateneo vs UPIS

Nazareth School of National University opened its title defense with a come-from-behind 79-76 victory over Adamson to close out opening day action at the UAAP Season 85 high school boys basketball tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

Staring at a 59-70 deficit, the Bullpups uncorked a comeback to reduce that to 70-72 with 3:08 remaining in the fourth.

Justine Garcia would try to stem the bid with a bucket for the Baby Falcons, but RJ Colonia nailed one of his own and a Reinhard Jumamoy triple gave NSNU the lead at 75-74 with 2:16 left.

Garcia would retake the lead for Adamson, but the defending champions would reclaim it by scoring the last four points of the game.

Head coach Kevin de Castro shared post-match, "Credit sa mga boys kasi down kami, talagang tiniyaga nila. Ang sama nung first half namin, after this game celebrate kami and then bukas, back to the drawing board."

The win extends their winning streak to 28 games, which dates back to Season 81.

Jumamoy finished with nineteen points, eight rebounds, five assists, and six steals to lead the Bullpups, with Colonia adding fourteen points, six rebounds, and six assists. Aga Clarito contributed a double-double with twelve points and ten rebounds, while Macmac Alfanta netted eleven markers and six boards.

Garcia paced Adamson with seventeen points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Carlo Bonzalida contributed a near double-double with fourteen markers and nine boards.

In the earlier afternoon matchup, Far Eastern University-Diliman thrashed Ateneo, 85-50.

The Baby Tamaraws raced to an early 26-11 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, with John Rey Pasaol leading the way to finish with fourteen points, six assists, and four steals.

Head coach Allan Albano shared afterwards, "Talo kami noong last game namin (last Season 82). Masaya 'yung first game na panalo, yun naman yung sinabi ko sa kanila importante yung first game para makuha namin yung confidence namin."

Second-generation ballers Liam Salangsang and Dwyne Miranda combined for 26 points, with the latter adding seven rebounds and six dimes. Kirby Mongcopa chimed in with thirteen points, five rebounds, and three blocks.

Lebron Nieto led the Eaglets with eight points, but shot 2/12 from the field to signify their struggles.

Third Game:

FEU 85 -- Pasaol 14, Salangsang 14, Mongcopa 13, Miranda 12, Cabonilas 8, Pascual 5, Pre 5, Daa 5, Cabigting 3, Bautista 2, Maierhofer 2, Felipe 2, Burgos 0, Herbito 0, Baricaua 0, Castillejos 0.

Ateneo 50 -- Nieto 8, Salandanan 7, Delos Santos 6, Arada 5, De Guzman 4, Porter 4, Prado 3, Ebdane 2, Adevoso 2, Asistio 2, Santiago 2, Aguirre 2, Tupas 2, Fidel 1, Domangcas 0.

Quarterscores: 26-11, 44-28, 65-37, 85-50.

Fourth Game:

NSNU 79 -- Jumamoy 19, Colonia 14, Clarito 12, Alfanta 11, Herrera 10, Timbang 5, Tagotongan 3, Yusi 3, Perciano 2, Solomon 0, Usop 0.

Adamson 76 -- Garcia 17, Bonzalida 14, Sajili 10, Reyes 9, Medina 9, Rosillo 7, Edding 3, Carillo 3, Mepaña 2, Culdura 2, Abayon 0, De Jesus 0, Perez 0.

Quarterscores: 12-17, 38-45, 49-61, 79-76.

UPIS, UST claim opening round assignments

Games on Wednesday (Jan. 18) at the Filoil-Ecooil Centre
9:00 a.m. - FEU-D vs UE
11:00 a.m. - DLSZ vs Adamson
2:00 p.m. - UST vs NSNU
4:00 p.m. - Ateneo vs UPIS

Both the University of the Philippines Integrated School and the University of Santo Tomas won their assignments in the morning session of Sunday's quadruple-header at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, kickstarting the UAAP Season 85 High School Boys tournament.

The Junior Maroons needed an additional five minutes to dispatch the University of the East, 101-94.

The win matched their season total from the last time high school basketball was played, back in Season 82, which also came against UE.

UPIS head coach Paolo Mendoza shares, "Yung panalo namin masaya dahil since 2020, iniintay po namin ito especially sa kagaya ni Kobe na rookie, first time niya to experience this. [We] wanted it more."

Gilas Youth prospects led the way for the Junior Maroons, with Basty Jacob leading all scorers with nineteen points, nine rebounds, and four steals, while Kobe Demisana adding a double-double with seventeen points and fourteen rebounds. The 6'8 big man also packed the stat sheets with four assists, a couple of steals, and four blocks in his first game as a UAAP player.

Also scoring in double figures for the Junior Maroons are Daryl Valdeavilla with eighteen, Jonas Napalang with seventeen, and Rocco Melicor with sixteen.

Leading the way for UE is JD Malonzo and his fifteen points, while Andrei de Leon and Drei Gragasin each added thirteen markers.

In contrast to the opening match, the Tiger Cubs eked out a 56-46 victory over La Salle-Zobel in a low-scoring affair.

UST used a strong second half to overcome a sluggish first twenty minutes, overcoming a 17-26 deficit to tie things at 38 at the end of the third quarter. They then took over in the final period, outscoring Junior Archers, 18-8.

Jinino Manansala credited his seniors for the win. He says, "Natutuwa ako sa mga graduating namin nag step up sila like si James Jumao-as, JP Pangilinan, si Mark Llemit

Jumao-as led all scorers with seventeen points, while adding four rebounds. Pangilinan added ten points.

Rhyle Melencio contributed a double-double for DLS-Z with thirteen points and twelve boards.

The Scores:

First Game:

UPIS 101 -- Jacob 19, Valdevilla 18, Demisana 17, Napalang 17, Melicor 16, Raymundo 9, Villaverde 3, Cordero 2, Mendoza 0.

UE 94 -- Malonzo 15, De Leon 13, Gragasin 13, Caldit 9, Morales 9, Pangilinan 8, V. Reyes 8, Gatchalian 5, Duque 4, Bagro 3, F. Reyes 3, Isip 2, Flores 2, Roldan 0, Ramos 0.

Quarterscores: 20-18, 40-47, 69-70, 86-86, 101-95.

Second Game:

UST 56 -- Jumao-as 17, Pangilinan 10, Esteban 10, Llemit 7, Bucsit 6, Pantaleon 6, Ayon 0, Velasquez 0, Miaco 0, Buenaflor 0, Tesocan 0, Manding 0, Naron 0.

DLSZ 46 -- Melencio 13, San Agustin 9, Alas 9, Dimaano 7, Melecio 4, Espina 2, Pabellano 2, Sta. Maria 0, Chang 0, Cruz 0.

UAAP HS Boys Basketball kicks off

 

Games Today at the Filoil Ecooil Centre

9:00 a.m. - UE vs UPIS
11:00 a.m. - UST vs DLSZ
2:00 p.m. - FEU-D vs AHS
4:00 p.m. - NSNU vs AdU

Second semester action of the 85th season of the UAAP kicks off today, starting things off with the commencement of the High School Boys basketball tournament at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.

The competition had to be paused for two seasons due to the pandemic, which saw the imposition of lockdowns a week after NU-Nazareth secured the Season 82 title after defeating FEU-Diliman, 87-80.

Both teams will be featured in the afternoon portion of the quadruple-header, with the Bullpups facing Adamson at 4pm to kickstart their quest for a three-peat, while the Baby Tamaraws tangle with Ateneo at 2pm.

The morning session sees UE and UPIS kick things off at 9am, followed by UST vs La Salle-Zobel at 11am.

All but one playdate will be held at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, with the San Andres Gym hosting the games on January 29.

Olympics pathway now charted for the Filipinas

The road for the Philippines towards Paris and the 2024 Olympics has been determined, with the successful implementation of the draw for the first round of action at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.

"I’m very excited to know our opponents," according to head coach Alen Stajcic, under whose leadership helped steer the country towards its upcoming debut in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup co hosted by Australia and New Zealand, as well as its best-ever position in the latest FIFA Women's Football Rankings at 53rd overall. He adds, "It’s a long and difficult road to qualifying for Paris. But qualifying through Round 1 and trying to get some matches against the big nations of the AFC is a very enticing and appealing prospect."

Drawn into Group E, the Filipinas will be crossing paths against Hong Kong, Tajikistan, and Pakistan, the first two of which the Philippines has had recent success against.

In the road towards Asian Cup Qualification back in September 24, 2021, the Philippines defeated Hong Kong, 2-1, which was their third victory in ten meetings against each other. Meanwhile, the Filipinas has twice against Tajikistan, including a 3-1 win back in 2018 during the first round of qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

Pakistan, ranked 177th overall by FIFA, completes the field, which will be played between April 3-11 at a venue to be determined.

The Filipinas will be facing the South Asians first, followed by the Central Asians and ending against their East Asian opposition, with the dates still to be confirmed.

Only the top team in each of the seven groups will advance in the next round, where the five best Asian teams (DPR Korea, Australia, Japan, China PR, and Korea Republic) are already waiting in the wings.

To advance into the final phase, the twelve teams in Round 2 will be drawn into three groups of four, with a round-robin to determine the winners of each group, as well as the best runner-up, advancing into a playoff for the two available spots for the Olympics.

Olympic pathway set to be determined for Filipinas

The road to Paris for our Senior Women's National Football Team is set after the Asian Football Confederation conducts its first round draw on Thursday at its Kuala Lumpur offices.

26 teams comprise the participating field for the first round, which the draw will filter into seven groups, five of which will have four teams and two with just three.

Matches will be played at an undetermined centralized venue between April 3-11.

Only the top teams of each group will advance into the second round, which will see them join the five-best teams in the region: Australia, China PR, DPR Korea, Japan, and Korea Republic. The twelve teams will be then drawn into three groups of four teams, with the top team of each group and the best second-place team advancing into the final round, which will be determined through home-and-away playoff matches.

At the end of qualifying, two teams will be representing the continent in 2024 Olympics.

In the previous go-round for the 2020 Olympics, the Philippines made it to the second round of qualifying, but bowed out after a defeat to Chinese-Taipei.

The 26 teams have been seeded into four pots, based on the latest FIFA Women's World Rankings released last December 9. The subdivision is as follows:

Pot 1: Vietnam, Chinese-Taipei, Thailand, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Philippines, India

Pot 2: Islamic Republic of Iran, Jordan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Nepal, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia

Pot 3: Palestine, Singapore, Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, Lebanon, Tajikistan, Timor Leste

Pot 4: Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan