UAAP Women\'s Volleyball - Updates

[jamesbond]

Ateneo Lady Eagles begin title defense bid by thumping NU in UAAP women’s volleyball opener

The Ateneo Lady Eagles began their title defense bid with a bang after sweeping the NU Lady Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14, on the opening day of the UAAP Season 78 women’s volleyball tournament Sunday at The Arena in San Juan.

Reigning back-to-back MVP Alyssa Valdez displayed her powerful form anew as she led the Ateneo attack with 17 points.

Maddie Madayag finished with 13 markers while Bea De Leon added 10 for the Lady Eagles who stretched their winning streak to 17 following a perfect run last year that saw them clinch their second straight championship.

Jaja Santiago and Myla Pablo made 11 points apiece for the Lady Bulldogs who simply couldn’t find an answer against the Ateneo onslaught from start to finish.

In the other match, the UP Lady Maroons also notched a three-set sweep in their first assignment against the UE Lady Red Warriors, 25-20, 25-13, 25-21.

Justine Dorog, Nicole Tiamzon and Diana Carlos scored nine points apiece for the Lady Maroon’s balanced attack.

Shaya Adorador led UE with seven points.

Team Standings
WIN   -   LOSS
ADMU BLUE EAGLES           1      0
UP FIGHTING MAROONS    1       0
ADU SOARING FALCONS    0        0
DLSU GREEN ARCHERS    0       0
FEU TAMARAWS                    0      0
UST GROWLING TIGERS     0       0
NU BULLDOGS                     0       1
UE RED WARRIORS             0        1
Post Merge: February 03, 2016, 10:31:34 PMGalang back in action almost a year after injuring her knee



It was 11 months ago when Ara Galang suffered a harrowing knee injury during De La Salle’s do-or-die stepladder semifinals match against the National University Lady Bulldogs.

Galang after scoring a hit, went down clutching her left knee and was stretchered off the court. She was diagnosed with an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, a big bone bruise, a medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear and a medial meniscus tear injury, ending her season last March 7, 2015.

The Lady Spikers survived the battle in four sets even without Galang. However, with Galang helplessly chained on the bench with a cast and crutches, the Taft-based spikers were no match against the might of eventual back-to-back champions Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles and their superstar Alyssa Valdez.

But like a true warrior, Galang recovered from her injury and slowly worked her way back to her old form for a final tour of duty for the green and white in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.

Watch her and DLSU Lady Spikers in their opening day action against the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws on Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. that will air live over ABS-CBN Sports+Action Channel 23, ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD Channel 166 and via livestream at sports.abs-cbn.com/livestream/uaap.

https://youtu.be/nUL0BFE_k20

Such a talent --- Queen Eagle Valdez on Madayag

Queen Eagle Alyssa Valdez praised Maddie Madayag's gutsy effort in Ateneo de Manila's opening day win over National University.



Sophomore Maddie Madayag immediately made an impact after coach Tai Bundit injected her in the starting six of the Ateneo de Manila Lady Eagles.

Queen Eagle Alyssa Valdez praised the 17-year-old middle’s gutsy effort as Ateneo tamed the National University Lady Bulldogs, 25-21, 25-19, 25-14, Sunday to open its three-peat bid in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

“Such a talent, skills-wise, height-wise nasa kanya e,” said the back-to-back Most Valuable Player.

Madayag scored 13 points including five kill blocks and held her ground against NU’s 6-foot-5 middle Jaja Santiago.

“Sana magtulu’y tuloy lang and sobrang nandoon ang consistency at connection nila ni Jia (Morado) iba e. I hope magtulu’y tuloy lang rin,” added Valdez, who led all scorers with 18. 

Madayag, a product of Davao Christian High School, played a vital role in front of the net to stop the hitters of NU or slow down the Lady Bulldogs’ attacks to give Ateneo’s floor defense time to recover.

The Lady Eagles extended their winning streak to 19 dating back from their victories in the last two championship games of Season 76 against De La Salle. 

Seldom-used in her first year, the comely 5-foot-9 player delivered when her number was called by Bundit. Her role seemed natural for the Lady Eagle.     

“Ok naman po since high school gitna po talaga ako kaya alam ko rin po kung ano ang gagawin,” Madayag said.

She added that what they went through in preparation for the season paid dividends especially with the departure of prized libero Denden Lazaro, Ella De Jesus and another backup middle Aeriel Patnongon.

“Teamwork talaga and dapat alam namin ang gagawin naming. Si coach Tai (Bundit) din talaga tinuturuan kami (sa practice) gaya ng kung kunyari sinong iba-block,” she said.

With Madayag being another scoring and defensive option to complement the firepower of Valdez, expect the Lady Eagles to soar once again to realize their grand slam goal.

Galang shines in DLSU's sweep of FEU



Ara Galang returned to action with a bang as De La Salle University dismantled the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws in straight sets, 29-27, 25-23, 25-20, Wednesday in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Almost a year after her harrowing left knee injury, Galang showed a glimpse of her old form scoring 10 points for the Taft-based squad. The fifth year Lady Spiker, who suffered an ACL, MCL injury in their do-or-die semifinals match against National University, scored all her points from attacks.

“Siguro ngayon mga nasa 85% na siya sa kaya pa n’yang gawin. Well ang target ay 'yung ma-surpass ang nagagawa niya last season definitely. Kasi hindi siya maglalaro kung papantayan lang niya 'yung nilalaro niya dati,” said assistant coach Benson Bocboc, who represented head coach Ramil de Jesus in the postgame interview as he had to leave early for a prior commitment, of Galang. “Sa ngayon kulang pa, may kailangan pa kaming i-adjust.” 

The Lady Spikers joined other opening day winners defending champion Ateneo de Manila, University of the Philippines and Adamson University.

Mika Reyes top scored for DLSU with 13 points, all but one coming off spikes, graduating Carol Cerveza had 10 markers while Mary Joy Baron scored eight. Team captain and veteran setter Kim Fajardo dished out 35 excellent sets in the Lady Spikers 48 vicious kills.

However, Bocboc pointed out that they still have to limit their errors. DLSU committed 27 errors.       

“Sa ngayon nangangapa pa kami and maraming pa kamin dapat ma-adjust. Also hindi maganda na maraming kaming errors,” he added.

Toni Basas led FEU with 13 points while Remy Palma had 12. Bernadeth Pons had a hard time getting her usual numbers as the Queen Tamaraw was limited to only nine markers.

[jamesbond]

4 points to note from UST’s UAAP volleyball debut vs Adamson



MANILA, Philippines – The University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses may have fallen short in their UAAP Season 78 debut against the Adamson Lady Falcons in five sets, 22-25, 21-25, 25-20, 30-28, 14-16, but you know they were right there up to the very end with a very good opponent.

Here are four points from their opening game.

Cherry Rondina could be UST’s and the league’s next big-time scorer.

I was surprised with the rather up-and-down game by new UST captain EJ Laure. She looked tentative at times and was over-thinking her game. Unlike her UAAP debut last season where she sparkled this time, she struggled. Sure, she scored 15 points, but she could have put in more.

But Rondina….  it seems she even has enough energy to play a second game on the same day! Thirty points on opening day! And in Season 77, she was the league’s 40th best scorer! For the most part, Adamson couldn’t block her. In fact, the one stand out block on her was a one-on-one play with Lady Falcons setter Fen Emnas.

But she kept UST in the fight in those first two sets. If she didn’t play well, it would have been over quickly. By the latter three sets, her other teammates, most notably, Laure, began to pick up their scoring.

What will it take for Alex Cabanos to lead this team?

In Season 77, former coach Odjie Mamon started off with rookie Sarah Verutiao but the latter didn’t perform too well in the early stages so they went with Alex Cabanos.

This Season 78, Alina Bicar started off as setter for UST and although she topped her side with 18 excellent sets, the bulk of that came in the first two sets when Cherry Rondina had a field day. Am not saying she can’t set but by the third set onwards, Cabanos was the main setter and she too finished with 18 excellent sets. But she did have some spotty sets in the late stages of the game.

Cabanos only got significant playing time last season so I’m not sure if you can say she’s a real veteran except in playing years but she figures to tag team with Bicar this season. And her powerful serves will keep her on the floor.

Patience, grasshopper. Coach Kungfu is here.

You have to like the demeanor of Emilio Reyes Jr. or “Coach Kungfu” as he is nicknamed. He doesn’t need to raise his voice. He issues reminders here and there. He’s encouraging his players. His calming presence is noteworthy. I loved it when he reminded his team about their character.

I like the fact that he used all but one of his players. Rookie Rica Rivera paid his trust by scoring seven points for her team. That debut should serve her well in the long run.

They are good, but they should be mindful of some things.

Well, last season, as a team, they were:

-          Fourth in spiking

-          Second in blocking

-          Fifth in serving

-          Third in digging

-          Third in setting

-          Fifth in receiving.

One game is too early to tell how they play and will eventually figure out. But there is potential. They have the pieces to contend for a playoff berth and maybe more. Someone on Twitter asked how I rate this team and commented that UST was merely strong. My answer there is the Golden Tigresses showed resiliency by fighting back from two sets down to forge a fifth set. If you look at the scores, they were there until the end. No blowouts! That says something about them.

However, the three concerns they need to address would be their floor defense, consistency, and mental toughness. There might be an imbalance between hinog veterans and talented newcomers, but if Coach Kungfu can mold this team and they get better as the season progresses, there is no telling where they can finish.

Team Standings
                                     WIN   -   LOSS
ADU SOARING FALCONS   1      0
ADMU BLUE EAGLES           1      0
DLSU GREEN ARCHERS   1      0
UP FIGHTING MAROONS   1      0
FEU TAMARAWS                   0      1
NU BULLDOGS                   0      1
UE RED WARRIORS           0      1
UST GROWLING TIGERS   0      1

[jamesbond]

Lady Bulldogs Bite Third Straight Win, Send Lady Warriors To 0-3

National University improved its record to 3-1 after an easy straight sets drubbing of University of the East.
Confident National University showed no love to University of the East even on Valentine’s Day Sunday.

The Lady Bulldogs overwhelmed the sluggish Lady Warriors to cruise to an easy 25-12, 25-13, 25-16, victory for a three-game winning romp in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Head coach Roger Gorayeb emptied his bench as NU punished UE the whole game to tie De La Salle University at second to third spot with 3-1 win-loss slate while sending their victim down to 0-3 slate tied with University of Sto. Tomas.

Only 6-foot-5 Jaja Santiago scored in double digits with 11 for the Lady Bulldogs, with all of 12 scoring players fielded putting up numbers on the stats.

Team captain Myla Pablo finished with nine points while her sister Maritess Pablo and Aiko Urdas chipped in six markers each for NU, obviously still on cloud nine after shocking the Lady Spikers 25-16, 26-24, 14-25, 25-23, last Wednesday.

“Maaari (na epekto),” said Gorayeb when asked if his team’s renewed confidence came from their upset win over DLSU. “Sinabi ko sa kanila na gawin n’yong motivation ‘yung pagkakapanalo sa La Salle. Malakinmg bagay sa inyo ‘yun e, winning against a strong team. Huwag na nilang sasayangin ang pagkakataon na ganyan.”

“From there you should not look back. Tapos na ‘yun kung ano man ang ipinanalo namin sa La Salle. Marami pang laro, first round pa lang,” he added. “Marami pang pwedeng mangyari pero kailangan maging consistent na kayo sa galaw ninyo.”

The Lady Bulldogs extended their head-to-head winning streak against the Lady Warriors to seven dating back Season 75.

UE, which last won against NU in five sets back in Season 74 second round of eliminations, suffered a lot in their reception as NU scored at will in then service line – a total of 14 with four coming from Urdas while setter Ivy Perez had three aces.

Celine Elaiza Domingo and Shaya Adorador scored five points each for the Lady Warriors, who are down with a 48-game losing skid.

































Lady Eagles remain unscathed in four outings

Ateneo de Manila kept its unbeaten record intact after four starts.
Ateneo de Manila gave University of the Philippines a heartache on Valentine’s Day.

The defending two-time champion Lady Eagles made a quick disposal of the Lady Maroons, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21, Sunday to remain unbeaten in the 78th UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at The Arena in San Juan.

Behind another stellar performance from Queen Eagle and reigning back-to-back Most Valuable Player Alyssa Valdez, Ateneo improved its record to 4-0 and extended its winning run to 22 dating back to the Lady Eagles victory in Games 3 and 4 of Season 76 Finals series.

Valdez, who a night before received her third straight Miss Volleyball award given by the Philippine Sportswriters Association, had 12 kills in her total of 13 points for the Lady Eagles, who will take on the Adamson Lady Falcons next.

Bea De Leon finished with 13 points while Maddie Madayag got 10 for the Katipunan-based squad.

Even after another easy victory, Valdez pointed out that Ateneo – which dropped only one set this season against University of Sto. Tomas – still has a lot to improve on.

“Marami pa ring mga ginawa namin na nagla-lack talaga kami. Siguro ‘yung errors namin, service, ‘yung blocking namin. Sobra, we have to improve on our blocking,” she said.

The Lady Eagles had four kill blocks while the Lady Maroons had five with three coming from rookie Diana Carlos, who finished with a game-high 16 points.

Ateneo controlled each set and never gave UP a chance to gain any momentum in the one-hour, 17-minute tussle of Katipunan neighbors.

The 17-year-old Carlos pounded 13 of the Lady Maroons total of 39 kills.

Freshman Isa Molde finished with nine points while Nicole Tiamzon had seven for UP, which absorbed its second straight defeat in three games to drop to a tie with Adamson and Far Eastern University in fifth to sixth spot.







































Team Standings
                                     WIN   -    LOSS
ADMU BLUE EAGLES           4      0
DLSU GREEN ARCHERS   3      1
NU BULLDOGS                   3      1
ADU SOARING FALCONS   1      2
FEU TAMARAWS                   1      2
UP FIGHTING MAROONS   1      2
UE RED WARRIORS           0      3
UST GROWLING TIGERS   0      3

[MaRuharuna]

I've always rooted Ateneo since nahook up ako sa panonood ng UAAP Volleyball. Pero I also have other team favorites like adamson. So far sa season na to mas solid ang laro ng NU, then yung la salle eh mejo humina, madami kasing nawalang key players sa kanila. Ateneo naman is keeping it strong, kahit nawala man si den den at ella eh madami din naman pumalit. powerhouse sila kung tutuusin.