Traditional rivals UST, FEU clash in UAAP collegiate volleyball opener

c/o Cignal/UAAP

Games Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena
9 a.m. – UE vs UP (Men)
11 a.m. – FEU vs UST (Men)
1 p.m. – UE vs UP (Women)
3 p.m. – FEU vs UST (Women)

Games Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena
9 a.m. – Ateneo vs AdU (Men)
11 a.m. – NU vs DLSU (Men)
1 p.m. – Ateneo vs AdU (Women)
3 p.m. – NU vs DLSU (Women)

TRADITIONAL rivals University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University will face off in an early showdown of title contenders in the UAAP Season 87 Women's Volleyball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena today (Saturday).

Owning a combined 45 championships, the Tigresses and the Lady Tamaraws will battle at 3 p.m. to cap off an explosive opening day.

Meanwhile, University of the Philippines and University of the East—both of whom missed the Final Four last year—aim to start their campaigns on a high note when they clash at 1 p.m.

UST will be without Jonna Perdido and Xyza Gula, key contributors in last season’s runner-up finish, due to injuries.

Despite this, head coach Kungfu Reyes remains confident that the Tigresses have enough firepower to end a 15-year championship drought.

"Big names at big players yung mga nawala, pero at the end of the day, hindi kami pwede tumigil. That's why we trained them para at least, itong mga ganitong mga unfortunate na scenario, nakaready pa rin kami. Tuloy pa rin ang laban," Reyes said.

Leading UST’s charge will be last season’s top scorer, Angge Poyos, alongside Reg Jurado, Em Banagua, Bianca Plaza, Cassie Carballo, and libero Detdet Pepito, all expected to play significant roles in the starting lineup.

Among the newcomers to watch for the Tigresses are Marga Altea, a product of UST’s high school program, Nigerian middle blocker Blessing Unekwe, and Ashlee Knop.

Meanwhile, it has been 17 years since FEU last won its 29th championship.

After a strong Final Four run last season, returning head coach Tina Salak is on a mission to lead the Lady Tamaraws to their long-awaited 30th title.

"Naeexcite ako pero nakakapressure at the same time kasi yung naging resulta natin last year, nakapasok tayo ng Final Four. Hindi madali 'yon. Pero having a privilege na intact yung team, trabaho ko na ito. Gusto ko mamaximize yung time nila this year kasi we never know, baka amin itong season na ito," Salak said.

FEU will field an intact and experienced roster led by Congolese spiker Faida Bakanke, along with Chenie Tagaod, Gerzel Petallo, Jean Asis, Mitzi Panangin, Tin Ubaldo, and Marga Encarnacion.

New additions such as transferee Jaz Ellarina and rookies Love Lopez and Clarisse Loresco, both from the FEU-Diliman program, are also expected to make an impact under Salak’s system.

The Tigresses and the Lady Tamaraws split their head-to-head matchups in last year’s eliminations. They also clashed in the V-League Collegiate Conference Finals during the off-season, where UST edged FEU in a thrilling three-game series.

All matches will be aired LIVE on free-to-air television via One Sports every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday with the men’s scheduled in the mornings while the women’s matches are scheduled in the afternoon, with exception of the February 19 and February 22 game days.

All games are also broadcast LIVE exclusively on the UAAP Varsity Channel in high definition. They are also available via the Pilipinas Live app, including video-on-demand content and for UAAP fans around the globe.

UP, coming off a disappointing 1-13 campaign last season—including a winless second-round stint—seeks a fresh start under new head coach Benson Bocboc, who will make his collegiate head coaching debut.

A longtime assistant to La Salle’s Ramil de Jesus, Bocboc is determined to guide UP to an improved standing while awaiting the eligibility of prized transferees, including Casiey Dongallo.

"Hindi naman na ako bago sa UAAP, bago ako sa environment na ibang team. Hopefully mai-push natin doon sa nakasanayan nating level. Iba yung mga players at school, pero volleyball din yung pinaguusapan. Hopefully, paunti-unti matranslate yung kailangan sa games and makita natin yung improvement from the previous team," Bocboc said.

Key holdovers for the Fighting Maroons include Niña Ytang, Irah Jaboneta, Nica Celis, and libero Geisha Capistrano. Meanwhile, one-and-done middle blocker Kassie Doering hopes to maximize her lone UAAP season.

UP also secured former high school girls’ MVP Kianne Olango, along with Bienne Bansil and Yesha Noceja from the highly successful National University Nazareth School program. Julia de Leon, a product of UP Integrated School, will also make her collegiate debut.

On the other hand, UE faces a major rebuilding phase following the departures of Dongallo, Jelai Gajero, and Kizzie Madriaga, as well as interim coach Obet Vital, who all transferred to UP.

After finishing sixth with a 3-11 record last season, UE hopes to move forward under new head coach Allan Mendoza Jr.

"Coach Obet [Vital] trained me for how many years. I’ve been the assistant of coach Obet in California Academy and naging head coach din ako ng California. Sabi niya na it’s time for me to grow naman and I’ll take the challenge rin naman," Mendoza said.

"Yung adjustment naman, hindi ganon kahirap kasi kasama ko naman yung mga bata before. Naging adjustment ko lang is yung role ng leadership kasi talagang every training, lahat ng details na sa akin now," he added.

UE will lean on returnees Khy Cepada, Kacey Balingit, Riza Nogales, and libero Ange Reyes. They will be reinforced by transferee setter Tin Ecalla and returning spiker Van Bangayan as they aim for a better finish this season.

In the men's division, UST and FEU will add another chapter to their historic rivalry when they clash at 11 a.m., following the 9 a.m. curtain-raiser between UP and UE.