Every week, INQUIRER Sports will be ranking the seven best performers in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament. The author will base the rankings on the players’ team standings, statistics, and the intangibles that don’t appear on the stat sheets.
As the Final Four picture of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament starts to take its shape, so do the narratives of some of its teams.
National University is on a downfall, University of Santo Tomas is starting to come alive, and Adamson University is ready to shake things up even further.
De La Salle already RSVP’d its attendance for the big dance while Ateneo is looking to join its rival.
With that said, here are the players who shone the brightest this week.
1. Cherry Rondina (University of Santo Tomas, outside hitter)
Cherry Rondina. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: No. 2
Weeks on list: 7
Cherry Rondina has had the most appearances on this list of any player and she’s finally gotten to the apex in the eighth week of Season 80.
It’s been heartbreaking for the league’s leading scorer pour her emotions out on the floor while the University of Santo Tomas struggle in the middle part of the season, but the Golden Tigresses have slowly regained their predatory instincts.
UST has so far won two straight games after their ridiculous five-game losing streak, and one of those wins happened this week in an absolute brilliant display against NU.
The Golden Tigresses feasted on the hollow Lady Bulldogs, who haven’t won a game in the second round, in four sets, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-9, and Rondina let out the loudest roar at the hallowed Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Like Muhammad Ali triumphing over the blinded Joe Frazier, Rondina won the war against Jaja Santiago scoring 25 points against her taller rival and maintaining her scoring average of 20-plus a game, 21.54 to be exact.
UST manage to cling on for dear life as its 4-7 record means its still in the hunt for a Final Four spot.
2. Kat Tolentino (Ateneo de Manila University, outside hitter)
Kat Tolentino. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: N/A
Just like the story the past weeks, names who haven’t been featured on this list are starting to pop up this late into the season.
And this week’s first debutante is Kat Tolentino, who has been dominant for Ateneo as of late.
“The Big Kat” has effectively become one of Ateneo’s central scoring figures and she’s racked up two games this week where she’s been nothing of short of imposing.
Tolentino was a commanding presence on the Ateneo’s wings this week as she averaged 19.5 points in the two wins the Lady Eagles had.
Her scoring outburst in Week 8 propelled Tolentino from no. 16 in the scoring table to no. 12 and bumping her scoring average from 10.55 points to 12.18 points-per-game.
3. Deanna Wong (Ateneo de Manila University, setter)
Deanna Wong. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: N/A
Deanna Wong’s the architect of Ateneo’s recent four-game winning streak in the second round, and she’s done it through sheer numerical force.
Wong first reached the half-century mark when she set up 50 in Ateneo’s four-set win over University of the East, 25-14, 18-25, 25-13, 25-18.
She then cranked up the ante in the Lady Eagles’ epic five-setter against the Lady Falcons, 24-26, 25-19. 21-25, 26-24, 15-12, when she had a ridiculous mark of 63 excellent despite Ateneo scoring just 57 spikes.
4. Mary Joy Baron (De La Salle University, middle blocker)
Mary Joy Baron. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: No. 4
Weeks on list: 3
De La Salle has been the league’s most stable of teams in any given point of the season.
Although the Lady Spikers lost two games in three outings in the middle of the first round, it never threatened their reputation as one of the league’s elite.
And now that the Lady Spikers are assured of their spot in the Final Four, there’s been one presence this week that was the embodiment of that stability.
Mary Joy Baron was never the one to put up gaudy numbers but her presence alone was enough for the Lady Spikers score a win in their lone game this week.
The reigning MVP had a meager 13 points on 10 spikes and three blocks, in three sets against University of the East, 25-8, 25-14, 25-12.
Those humble numbers would never jump out of the paper but Baron turned back the Lady Warriors’ 12 times proving that points alone won’t exactly measure how good the MVP is.
5. Milena Alessandrini (University of Santo Tomas, outside hitter)
Milena Alessandrini. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: No. 6
Weeks on list: 2
Filipino-Italian rookie Milena Alessandrini hardly speaks English, let alone Tagalog, but what she lacks in communication she makes up for pure unadulterated play.
Alessandrini suffered a right shoulder injury at the end of the first round that sidelined her for a month but now that she’s back she’s given UST a new breathe of life.
In the Golden Tigresses’ lone game this week, Alessandrini put up 19 points and was vital in establishing UST’s presence in front of the net.
Alessandrini had five of UST’s 12 blocks against NU and her individual mark was three more of what Santiago had.
6. Jema Galanza (Adamson University, outside hitter)
Jema Galanza. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: No. 3
Weeks on list: 3
Jema Galanza could’ve been the undisputed top player this week if not for Adamson’s five-set loss against Ateneo on Sunday.
The Lady Falcons were well on their way to pose a serious threat to the top four of the standings but their setback against the Lady Eagles pulled them further back in the Final Four race.
Galanza could’ve singlehandedly shocked Ateneo this season but a couple of controversial calls denied her of that.
Adamson’s angelic skipper was called with a net touch in the fourth set of the Ateneo game that allowed the Lady Eagles to trim the lead to 22-19, from 22-15.
Replays on the telecast, however, showed that Galanza never grazed the net but that wasn’t the only instance the game official had his hand on the scoring.
Galanza was once again called with an error, this time a crossing violation, when she allegedly crossed under the net after she landed on her off-speed attempt that would’ve won the game for Adamson.
Nevertheless, Galanza was superb individually for Adamson averaging 19.5 points in the two games the Lady Falcons split this week..
7. Jaja Santiago (National University, middle blocker)
Jaja Santiago. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Last week: N/A
Weeks on list: 6
Jaja Santiago was once the deadliest player in the league this season, she was even the top player for two consecutive times in this list, but her team’s recent struggles have muddled her reputation.
NU was a runaway train in the first round going 6-1, but has so far lost all four of its second round matches.
Santiago, individually, also saw a dip in her performance as she has, so far, relinquished her second seat in the scoring table to University of the Philippines’ Diana Carlos.
This week, however, Santiago has made ground on Carlos in the scorers’ table.
Santiago was once 27 points behind Carlos, 197-170, but after Week 8 that margin has dissipated to two, 220-218.
Still, Santiago’s individual exploits haven’t translated to team wins as NU went 0-2 this week and is on a four-game losing streak.