DE LA SALLE starts its quest for a third consecutive women’s crown with a Season 90 opening match against the Lady Spikers’ Final Four victims last year—University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses—in the opener of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) volleyball tournament today at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The new season opens with an explosive quadruple-header in both the men’s and women’s tournaments with De La Salle opening a campaign without three-time Best Setter Kim Fajardo in its 4 p.m. clash with UST.
All eyes will also be on Jaja Santiago as she plays the first game of her final playing year with National University (NU), which takes on dark horse Adamson University at 2 p.m.
The men’s action also opens with three-time runner-up NU facing Adamson University at 8 a.m, and De La Salle taking on UST at 10 a.m.
It has yet to sink into Santiago’s mind that her days in the UAAP are numbered. But once she starts playing and facing the Lady Falcons, who have become contenders almost overnight, despite winning only of last year’s 14-game elimination, she will be ready.
“It’s not yet sinking in that this is my last playing year. But once the UAAP starts, when I play every game, every spike, I will cherish it for my last playing year,” said Santiago, last year’s Best Scorer, Best Spiker and Best Blocker.
She will face a Lady Falcons side, led by Jema Galanza, rookie Chiara Permentilla, Ex-Lady Spiker El Soyud and returnees Mylene Paat and Fen Emnas.
De La Salle also has three graduating players—reigning Most Valuable Player (MVP) Majoy Baron, ace opposite spiker Kianna Dy and Asia’s second-best libero Dawn Macandili, and all will try to end their careers with a historic “three-peat” and the 11th title overall with Head Coach Ramil de Jesus.
Attention also goes to Finals MVP Desiree Cheng and Tin Tiamzon—and sophomore setter Michelle Cobb, who will fill in the big shoes left by Fajardo.
“Adjustment, it’s gradual. And, I’m taking it one game at a time,” Cobb said. “Given the legacy that Kim left, it comes with a lot of expectations. I can really feel the pressure, of course a lot of people look at our team, I was expecting it also.”
“But now, Coach Ramil made it clear that I should accept a very big role because someone left a really big mark,” she added.
UST, on the other hand, lost the majority of its core that played in last season’s Final Four—Pamela Lastimosa, Chloe Cortez and Alex Cabaños—to graduation. But the Tigresses did not expect to lose middle blocker Ria Meneses, who decided to forgo her final playing year, and star spiker EJ Laure, who suddenly suffered a chronic right-shoulder injury last December.
But UST Head Coach Kungfu Reyes is still optimistic and is pinning much hopes on Cherry Rondina, who is likely to double her production, and Carla Sandoval.
Opposite spiker Dimdim Pacres, skipper Shannen Palec, Tin Francisco, setter Alina Bicar and new recruit Filipino-Italian Milena Alessandrini are also expected to step up for UST this season.