The National University Lady Bulldogs have been anything but stable over the past few seasons. They have switched head coaches five times in six years and have had several players transfer out of the school in the last two.
Amidst the chaos, the Lady Bulldogs have remained contenders, thanks largely to their six-foot-five ace Jaja Santiago. NU and Santiago have been successful everywhere but the UAAP. NU have won three straight PVL Collegiate Conference titles, and Santiago has gobbled up individual awards and National Team nods.
Still, the Lady Bulldogs have only made the Final Four twice in Santiago’s past four UAAP seasons, bowing out of contention the last two seasons.
With a new coaching staff and the most intact lineup in the league heading in the new season, NU can start fresh… if only this wasn’t the last playing year of the once-in-a-generation star.
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The hype surrounding the Lady Bulldogs has always been directly proportional to the massive frame of Jaja Santiago. Nearly a foot taller than most players in the UAAP, Santiago has always stuck out and drawn expectations that get transferred to her team.
Santiago’s presence has also always kept NU in a state of rush – constantly looking for change. Season 79 had their then-head coach Roger Gorayeb always looking over his shoulder as rumors of his replacement began swirling.
While Santiago’s development continued despite her school’s coaching carousel, she certainly could have done better with a constant guide through an important phase in her development as an athlete. After all, every coach asked different things of her — from playing middle to playing in the wings, to shifting between positions mid-season, sometimes even midgame.
Her time in the UAAP will come to an end in Season 80. Given how her first four years went down, Santiago’s final playing year in the country’s most celebrated league will most likely dictate her legacy.
She knows that anything short of a championship will be considered a failure given her stature.
“Siyempre, first year pa lang ako sa NU, hinahanap hanap ko na talaga ‘yung championship sa UAAP,” Santiago said.
“Sa apat na taon na nakalipas na hindi ko nakuha ‘yun, ngayong last playing year ko hindi ako papayag na hindi namin makukuha ‘yun at hindi ako makakapayag na gagraduate ako ng wala kaming nakukuha sa UAAP.”
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By no means are the Lady Bulldogs a one-woman team.
Over the years, the program has accumulated top talent, most of whom had gone through their lauded Juniors program.
The best former Junior Lady Bulldog on the team is setter Jasmine Nabor. After being converted to a playmaker in 2016, Nabor has improved rapidly and is an early favorite for Season 80’s Best Setter plum.
The Lady Bulldogs also have talented veterans in Fil-Japanese middle blocker Risa Sato and wing hitters Aiko Urdas and Jorelle Singh. Those three Lady Bulldogs featured heavily for the PVL Open Conference champions Bali Pure, and showed that they can be stars away from NU.
The Lady Bulldogs simply need to find their chemistry in the UAAP, which has always been a challenge, especially in high-pressure matches when NU have an entire arena rooting against them.
“Ang expectation po ng team ngayon is mas maging palaban po kami. Parang sobrang lumaki ang tiwala namin sa isat-isa na kaya na namin pumasok ng Final Four at maglalaro kami nang maayos kumpara last season,” thought Nabor.
“Siyempre po ang goal ko talaga is makapasok ng Final Four, makapaglaro ng Finals tapos mas mag-improve po kami bawat isa.”
Nabor and Santiago form a potent combo. Their play will be NU’s backbone this season. How their teammates play their roles will be what pushes them over the top or holds them back.
Last season, the Lady Bulldogs went through games where they didn’t even use their liberos, as they struggled to solve their reception and floor defense issues. With Bia General back from a one-year hiatus, NU have another viable option at libero. In modern volleyball, a team simply cannot waste the advantage of using a libero.
NU’s scoring also has to become more balanced. Jaja Santiago winning Best Scorer, Best Attacker, and Best Blocker last year was historic. It did, however, paint a picture of NU’s over-reliance on her.
Most importantly, the Lady Bulldogs acknowledge their need to mature. Whether it is reacting to off-court drama or playing under pressure, the Lady Bulldogs need to show more composure this season.
“Siguro, lahat ng struggle ng team namin, pati ako personally, lahat ng nangyaring problema, hindi ka kaagad dapat sumuko. Siyempre, sa game pag pinupukpok ka ng pinupukpok kailangan lumaban pa at hindi ka susuko,” Santiago emphasized.
“‘Yun ‘yung dadalhin ko ngayon UAAP na kahit anong mangyari sa amin, lalaban at lalaban ako at papakita ko sa teammates ko na hindi tayo pwedeng sumuko. Kailangan dere-derecho tayo.”
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While the Lady Bulldogs have retained their entire roster from last season, they did overhaul their coaching staff.
Babes Castillo stepped in for Roger Gorayeb and immediately led the Lady Bulldogs to a PVL Collegiate Conference title. Castillo is most known for his work with the NU Juniors team, whom he has coached to four straight UAAP championships. His high school program has drawn the top talent from all over the country. The Junior Lady Bulldogs are so dominant that they’ve been known to take down collegiate teams in tournaments.
More than most local coaches, Castillo approaches the game methodically. He has always believed that a coach’s job happens mostly off-court. The on-court adjustments and pep talks are just a fraction of what he does.
“Most of the work really happens off the court. You have to remember that you’re coaching young individuals,” Castillo said.
“Everyday you train them, but you also get to know them as individuals. You’re more of a teacher and you have to find a way to reach out and get all your students to learn.”
His players feel his meticulous approach, most notably Jaja Santiago. Castillo is not new to coaching stars, as his high school squad is filled with future National Team bets.
Castillo wants to involve Santiago as much as he can in his process. At this point in her career, Santiago is used to adapting quickly and buying into a new coach’s system, which mostly focus on maximizing her skills.
“Sa kanya kasi, sa unang month talaga titignan niya kung anong kulang sa’yo, kung anong mga kailangan idagdag at ano na ang meron sa’yo. And then, ‘yung second month niya or second week ‘pag na-observe ka na niya, ico-correct na niya kung anong kailangan gaya ng paano position ng depensa mo ganito ganyan,” Santiago described her coach’s process.
“Hindi dahil middle or porque matangkad ka, hindi ka na magstay sa likod or hindi ka na magrereceive so tinuturuan niya kami nila Risa (Sato) na magreceive, dumepensa sa likod. Si coach Babes sobrang tiyaga niya magturo kung may magkamali nga sa training stop kaagad dapat ganito ‘yung tama, dapat ganito ‘yung gagawin natin, kailangan ma-execute mo nang tama,” the 22-year-old furthered. “Hindi naman agad-agad, pero, at least, nakukuha mo ‘yung point niya na ‘yun ‘yung gusto niya laging gawin or makuha ng players sa kanya. Chill lang siya, hindi siya ‘yung pag nagkamali ka maiinis agad.
“I-mo-motivate ka pa niya. ‘Di ba mali ‘yung ginagawa mo? Pero sasabihin niya sayo, ‘You’re doing good, you’re doing fine heto lang yung konting kailangan ayusin’, ganoon siya. Hindi ka niya ipu-push sa bagay na hindi mo naman kaya.”
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While volleyball is a team sport, few indviduals have ever been as imposing as Jaja Santiago, especially in the Philippines.
Much like when Alyssa Valdez played her final year for the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles, most of the attention will be on Santiago and if she can lift the Lady Bulldogs.
Of course, volleyball doesn’t work that way. She needs her teammates to pull their weight if she’s ever going to leave a legacy as impressive as her height.
