Included in the United Auctioneers-University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons lineup in the upcoming Chooks to Go-Philippine Superliga Invitational Cup, do-it-all Ayel Estrañero confirmed that she is returning for one more year in the UAAP.
Right after Season 80, Estrañero admitted that she was still undecided on her future with the Lady Maroons.
With UP-UAI debuting in the Invitational Cup, Estrañero told Tiebreaker Times that she is looking forward to her final collegiate journey.
“I’m gonna play my fifth for UP.
“I was still in a discussion with coach (Godfrey) Okumu about my personal plans. I guess it would have been more difficult for me had I not played my final year,” she confirmed.
UP missed the Final Four in the Season 80 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, but had an uplifting finish to the season with back-to-back wins, including a sweep over the Ateneo de Manila University.
Estrañero had to play different positions throughout the season but – according to head coach Godfrey Okumu – she will ideally play the setter position, starting in the PSL.
“She asked me if she’ll play another position, but we told her to just focus on setting. Even though we have a new recruit who is also a setter and Rem Cailing, I believe with her available as our setter we will go places,” said Okumu, emphasizing Estrañero’s importance to a young team like UP.
“It feels great. As a coach, I’m very proud of her as a player. She brings a lot of experience. The team really needs her this moment. Half of our players are rookies. They just graduated from high school,” the second-year mentor furthered. “Though some of them have good volleyball background, the type of volleyball I’d like for the to play, they still need to keep learning. No time to slow down.
“With Ayel there, she’s quite an asset for us.”
Estrañero, who was part of the first UP team to make the UAAP Final Four in a decade last Season 78, hopes she can help bring UP back to the same heights.
“The championship is always a goal. Even a podium finish would be enough. But, there’s still a long way to go. We still need to work on a lot as a team and as individuals,” she expressed.
“Hopefully, when we sit down as a team and write our goals, I hope, by the end of Season 81, we can say that we’ve reached our goal.”
