Oliver Almadro himself will be getting his hands dirty in the rebuild of the UP volleyball teams.
The multi-time champion coach, named UP Volleyball Program Director in August of last year, will be right on the sidelines for the UP Women’s Volleyball Team (WVT) in the looming UAAP Season 86.
“I’m eager to take on this challenge of re-energizing the UP Fight in volleyball. There will be challenges, of course, but this is a blessing for me, and hopefully, with the all-out support of the UP community and the guidance of the Lord, kakayanin nating mag-compete,” said Almadro.
The program director-cum-WVT mentor’s mission is clear: establish and then reinforce a winning culture with the Fighting Maroons.
And he knows a thing or two about that, having spent over a decade at Ateneo – where he won five gold, two silver, and two bronze medals in men’s and women’s indoor volleyball, as well as beach volleyball.
Almadro will rely on Season 85 2nd-Best Middle Blocker Niña Ytang and skipper Abi Goc, together with returning veterans Jewel Encarnacion and Nica Celis, as State U hopes to improve on a one-win campaign last year.
Also helping out as assistants will be former WVT skipper Nicole Tiamzon and ex-MVT standout Jarod Hubalde.
“Ang malinaw naman sa gusto nating mangyari is we want to compete and we want to win. Pero ‘di natin mamadaliin. We will go through the process, kaya rin natin pinabalik as coaches ‘yung mga may alam talaga sa UP Fight in volleyball,” he said.
On the other hand, the MVT will be under the watchful eye of comebacking coach Sergio “Vip” Isada. Carlo Cabatingan will be the first deputy, while Louis Gamban and Gelo Lagando will be the players at the forefront of UP’s quest to move forward from its own 1-13 record.
Almadro and Isada have the full faith of UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development Director Bo Perasol and new backer Strong Group.
They face the tall task of architecting yet another rebuild for women’s and men’s teams that both last won it all back in the early ’80s.
