By: Christian David Ruiz
It took University of Santo Tomas seven years to reclaim the championship in UAAP High School Boys’ Volleyball, and rookie setter Jeff Abalos is elated to be part of this milestone.
“Masaya kasi ano ‘yung, ano nila coach, na-appreciate nila talaga ako. ‘Yun nga, ako talaga yung kumumpleto sa team. Sobrang grateful ako dahil ako ‘yung napili nila dito sa UST,” Abalos shared, expressing his gratitude for the trust and support of his coaches.
In his debut season with the Junior Golden Spikers, the coaching staff entrusted Abalos to orchestrate the team’s offense—a crucial role for any setter. He rose to the challenge, contributing three blocks and 14 excellent sets in UST’s championship match against National University-Nazareth School (NU-NS), dethroning the team that ended their title hopes the previous season.
“Sobrang saya po kasi ‘yun nga po unang pasok ko pa lang champion na,” Abalos said with pride.
“Sobrang saya dahil nagbunga lahat ng sakripisyo namin,” he added, reflecting on the hard work that led to their success.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
While Abalos received widespread praise from his teammates and coaches for his performance, he made sure to highlight the collective effort of the team and the guidance of his mentors at UST.
“Sobrang laki po ng tulong talaga sakin nina coach. Buong UST po, malaki talaga natulong sakin,” he said.
Now that UST has brought the crown back to España, the challenge of defending the title looms large.
The departure of eight senior players, including key contributors Sean Cruz, Joncriz Ayco, and Pao Medino, adds to the pressure on Abalos and the remaining roster.
Despite these challenges, the young playmaker is determined to work even harder for the upcoming season.
“Siguro next season, ‘yun nga maiiwan na lang kami, wala na sila. Kaya siguro mas pupursigihin pa namin na ibalik ulit samin yung korona,” said Abalos, setting his sights on maintaining UST’s winning tradition.
