The sun always rises in the East.
After spending the past two seasons in the cellar of UAAP men’s volleyball, the University of the East is finally beginning to see some light, thanks to sophomore spikers Raquim Aceron and Roy Piojo this Season 88.
Already eliminated from Final Four contention this year, the Red Warriors still showed up on Wednesday and produced their best win of the season, dragging the De La Salle Green Spikers out of the semifinal race with a clean 25-21, 28-26, 26-24 victory at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Aceron and Piojo, as usual, were at the forefront of UE’s attack, with the former tallying 19 points and 22 excellent receptions, while the latter delivered 14 points, six receptions, and four digs.
For assistant coach Jumbo Dimaculangan, it is undeniable that the Red Warriors revolve around Aceron and Piojo, and how far the team goes will depend largely on them.
“Itong dalawang ito, I think it’s destiny na napunta sila sa UE,” said Dimaculangan of their rising stars.
“As early as last year, talagang chinachallenge na namin sila na they have to carry the load kasi kayo yung magdadala talaga sa team, so they are special because they accepted the challenge na maging tagabuhat ng team,” he added, noting how Aceron and Piojo were among the few bright spots in their winless Season 87 campaign.
Now, those individual breakthroughs have translated into three wins this season—UE’s most since Season 85, when it managed five victories. In Season 86, the Red Warriors went 1-13.
They will close their campaign on Saturday against Final Four-bound Ateneo de Manila University, still at the UST venue.
“Ang challenge ko na sa kanila this year, last year you performed good individually eh, this is a good year, so ang challenge ko sa kanila eh how they will uplift naman their teammates, kailangan hindi lang silang dalawa, that’s why they’re very special,” Dimaculangan said.
DESTINY
Why call it destiny? Because Aceron and Piojo were like angels who simply fell into UE’s lap.
Aceron, a 6-foot-1 hitter from Dasmariñas, Cavite, was invited by a UE player to join training while he was still in Grade 12 in senior high school.
He was supposed to quit volleyball, but joining the Red Warriors awakened his competitive fire—pushing him to help bring UE back to prominence.
“We’re very happy po sa resulta ng laro kasi ito po yung pinagtatrabahuhan namin each day. Last season po, ayun po yung naging pinaka motivation ko sa sarili ko na kailangan na po naming baguhin kung paano kami nakilala ng tao,” Aceron shared after their third win of the season.
“Ngayon po, nagsisimula na po kami. Hindi naman po kami titigil dito lang; patuloy po kaming mag-strive para mas umangat pa po kami,” he added.
On the other hand, Piojo was something of a long shot for Jerome Guhit and his coaching staff.
Recommended by Dimaculangan’s friend from Iloilo, attempts were made to contact Piojo—but he initially did not respond.
“Ito namang si Roy, I think it was by accident lang. He was referred to me by my kumare who is from Iloilo. Sabi niya, ‘Uy, may player dito, baka gusto mo.’ So sabi ko naman, sige, tingnan natin. Eh si Roy kasi hindi siya nagre-reply during that time. Hindi talaga siya nagrereply, so ako parang interesado ba talaga siya, so I kept following up lang doon sa kumare ko,” shared Dimaculangan, who is also the head coach of the school’s women’s team.
“Then one day, nag-reply, then ang sinagot lang sa akin ay pakikausap na lang po ang mommy ko kasi hindi po ako marunong mag-Tagalog, so binigay lang ‘yung Facebook ng mother niya.”
The Piojo family was initially hesitant to allow Roy to pursue volleyball in Manila, but he ultimately pushed through—delivering a strong rookie season followed by a resurgence in his second year despite missing the first round due to a knee injury.
Now that UE’s program is finally picking up steam, Dimaculangan is excited for what lies ahead.
No one from the current lineup will graduate this year, with Shan Camaymayan the lone fourth-year player, who still has a year of eligibility left.
The Red Warriors also have three junior players, while the rest are rookies and sophomores.
“In the future, this team will still be intact. You will still see the same faces for next year, kasi wala pa namang gagraduate,” said Dimaculangan.
“I would say, this will be good for the UE men’s volleyball team for the coming years.”
With destiny and promise colliding, this might just be the perfect combination UE needs to finally show what it is truly made of.
