Former Ateneo de Manila University middle blocker Brian Castro is set to continue his volleyball journey in Japan after signing with Fragolad Kagoshima for the 2026-27 SV.LEAGUE season, the club announced on Friday.
With the move, Castro joins an exclusive group of Filipino volleyball players who have competed in Japan’s top professional league, following in the footsteps of Bryan Bagunas, Marck Espejo, Sachi Minowa, Dindin Santiago-Manabat, Jia De Guzman, and Maddie Madayag.
“I’d like to say I’m very excited. This is one of the biggest experiences of my career,” Castro said during a press conference with members of the media.
“Sir Mark (Salamat) introduced me to Ali (Castro), and we talked things through. They found an opening with Fragolad, and that was pretty much it. They introduced me to the team and helped me secure this signing in Japan,” he added.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The 6-foot-4 middle blocker spent the last two seasons with the Blue Eagles, playing a key role in Ateneo’s resurgence. After finishing fifth in UAAP Season 87, the Blue Eagles returned to the Final Four in Season 88.
Ateneo’s campaign ended in a hard-fought semifinal defeat to top-seeded Far Eastern University, 25-23, 20-25, 16-25, 25-17, 15-12, with Castro contributing seven points.
As he embarks on the next chapter of his career, Castro believes the lessons he learned at Ateneo—particularly resilience—will help him adjust to the challenges of playing overseas.
“I think the one thing I’m going to take away from my time at Ateneo is resilience. We don’t give up—we’re always ready to climb that hill.”
