After two consecutive 1–13 campaigns, the University of the Philippines made significant strides in UAAP Season 87, slaying giants on the way to an improved 6–8 record in the women’s volleyball tournament.
And the Fighting Maroons are showing no signs of slowing their growth, with the much-anticipated UP debut of former University of the East high-volume scorer Casiey Dongallo, along with former high school star Jelai Gajero.
Expectations are through the roof for UP to return to the Final Four, as last season’s main gunners Niña Ytang, Joan Monares, and Irah Jaboneta all decided to come back and use their final year of eligibility in the UAAP.
With the team only losing Nica Celis and Kassy Doering while adding Shamel Fernandez, Kizzie Madriaga, Jenalyn Umayam, Dongallo, and Gajero, the Fighting Maroons are shaping up to be one of the stronger squads heading into Season 88.
UP is also set to welcome Pling Baclay back into the lineup, but despite all the additions and hype, new head coach Fabio Menta noted that those are just talks for now. The team still needs to slay more giants to turn expectations into reality.
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“Yeah, well, I always tell the players on paper it’s okay. But we always play on court, so it’s different from the paper,” reminded Menta during the league’s Media Day held at the TV5 Media Center last Saturday.
“Basically, our focus is on improving the tactics. The girls were already a good team. Last year, they slayed some giants. So we’re trying to complete the process with a more… I would call it more modern volleyball. So we have a different approach. We’re much faster than last year, and we hope that that is enough to get into the Final Four.”
Having missed the postseason for the past 10 years, the Italian tactician knows that getting over the hump is crucial for UP.
However, he also tempered expectations despite the loaded roster, noting that the team has only been together for seven months and that building a strong foundation takes time.
Still, with the core from last season intact alongside the arrival of heavy hitters, Menta hopes it will be enough for the Fighting Maroons to finally return to the Final Four.
Part of the promise UP showed last season came from its big wins over eventual finalists National University and De La Salle University.
“Well, the expectations are there for everyone. We don’t feel that pressure, we’re just working hard. We know that we have a long way to go to catch up with the programs that are more established than ours,” said Menta.
“This is new. I just had the team for seven months. We’re just working every day with the idea of doing our best. Then we’ll see if our best is enough,” he went on.
“Everybody knows our goal is to finally go back to Final Four. It’s missing since 2016, so 10 years is a long time. That makes it very difficult because also the mentality might not be there. So we’re working a lot on the minds and the bodies are ready. So we’ll see under pressure what’s going to happen.”
