THE ROAD to the UAAP volleyball supremacy has to still go through the mighty National University (NU).
On the heels of the departure of their championship core led by Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon, the Lady Bulldogs will march into the battlepit with an untouched confidence in defending the crown amid an expected heavy resistance from the seven other teams.
Pundits see this season as a wide-open race especially after the graduation of four of NU’s Super Six but new coach Regine Diego assured that the Jhocson-based spikers have enough firepower to hold off any coup d’état in UAAP Season 88 starting this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We will do our best to defend the title. Rebuilding should not be on our minds. We will just play as champions,” beamed returning mentor Ms. Diego, who took over from Sherwin Meneses in the offseason, during the pre-season press conference on Wednesday at the same venue.
Aside from Mses. Belen and Solomon, NU also lost middle blockers Sheena Toring and Erin Pangilinan — leaving ace setter Lams Lamina and spiker Vange Alinsug as the only remnants of their UAAP dynasty.
The Lady Bulldogs last season completed a back-to-back feat for their third overall crown in the last four seasons for a fitting swan song to the “Big 4” and not even a transition stage should stop them from preserving it, with reinforcement now from super rookie and former UAAP juniors MVP Sam Cantada from Adamson.
NU in fact showed its capability even without Ms. Belen and company by completing a four-peat in the Shakey’s Super League Pre-season Unity Cup and sweeping the Maharlika Pilipinas Volleyball Association.
“Of course, there will always be that pressure. This is the UAAP and NU. Everything will have a challenge and pressure but I just want them to play their best so hopefully we can defend the championship,” added Ms. Diego, whose wards will open their defense against University of Santo Tomas this Sunday.
Expected to stand in the NU’s way are De La Salle University and Santo Tomas, which took turns in challenging them in the four straight finals, with Adamson University, Far Eastern University and the rejigged University of the Philippines (UP) tipped to join the mix.
Other matchups feature UP versus University of the East on Saturday then Adamson against Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday. It’s the same cast in the men’s side led by the five-peat champion NU Bulldogs.
Meanwhile, UAAP Commissioner Mike Verano will implement a new system for fair play and sportsmanship with the launch of “green cards” for honest players.
The rule will have officials handing out green cards to a player who voluntarily acknowledges a block touch or a net touch to fast-track the adjudication process and reduce the need for unnecessary video challenges.
The UAAP team with the most green cards after the season will be feted with “Sportsmanship Award” on top of the individual accolades.
“This is the most important innovation for Season 88. This will reward the student-athletes with their honesty and sportsmanship,” said Mr. Verano. — John Bryan Ulanday
