Ateneo de Manila University volleyball icon Bea de Leon was spotted, camera in hand, in the stands during the third playdate of the Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
However, the two-time UAAP champion was wearing a white University of the Philippines shirt, with her last name printed on the back, ahead of the Fighting Maroons’ match against Far Eastern University on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
While Bea is a certified Blue Eagle legend through and through, she revealed that she was wearing white-and-maroon to support her cousin, Julia de Leon, who was named the starting setter by head coach Benson Bocboc.
Bea proved to be a lucky charm for Julia and the rest of the UP team as the Fighting Maroons pulled off a stunning 23-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 victory over the FEU Lady Tamaraws.
The win moved the Fighting Maroons to a 2-0 record, joining the NU Lady Bulldogs at the top of the eight-team standings.
In her limited playing time, Julia recorded six excellent sets and one excellent dig.
While the statline may not have been eye-catching, Bea beamed with pride as Julia began carving out her own path in the UAAP.
“My cousin’s playing, si Julia. Obviously, I’ll be supporting her,” the UAAP Season 81 Finals MVP told reporters when asked why she wore a UP shirt.
“Super great and super happy na nakita ko siya maglaro at manalo. I’m super proud of her… Enjoy niya lang. Just really enjoy the game, enjoy her teammates, enjoy the years that she’s gonna play here, and enjoy the UAAP in general.”
For her part, Julia couldn’t contain her excitement upon learning that both her cousin and idol, Bea, took time away from her busy PVL schedule to show her support.
And Bea’s presence brought good karma, as the Fighting Maroons secured their first win over the Lady Tamaraws since June 2, 2022, when they triumphed 25-10, 25-19, 25-7 in the second round of Season 84.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“I feel blessed, really, kasi I did not expect that she would be watching. My mindset lang is to focus on the game and her being here was very, very appreciated kasi her guidance was a big help for me in entering my volleyball career,” Julia told Tiebreaker Times.
While Bea publicly showed her support for Julia for the first time, the 28-year-old middle blocker from Creamline has long been a mentor to the 19-year-old setter — dating back to Julia’s Season 87 beach volleyball stint.
There, UP finished in fourth place.
In addition to offering guidance in her beach volleyball career, Julia revealed that Bea was also there for her during her transition from spiker to middle blocker, and eventually to her current role as setter for the Fighting Maroons.
“I feel happy kasi with her saying that was such a blessing na rin kasi with her guidance na rin, ‘yon na rin nakakapag-contribute sa akin to be here right now in the UAAP kasi I started playing for beach [volleyball] na rin. With that also, she was there to help me and now for indoor na naexperience rin niya,” Julia shared.
“Whenever we have gatherings, she talks to me and then guides me as well. Big help na rin na nakaka-watch ako ng games niya and nakakakuha ng inspiration from her plays and system. She’s really a good guidance to me.”
Rosario out, Malonzo and Edu return as Gilas battle Chinese-Taipei#ReadMore 👉 https://t.co/jmo86EhCWW#LabanPilipinas #AsiaCup
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— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) February 19, 2025
