UAAP volleyball: Jumbo Dimaculangan confident his brother Karl can lead NU to sweep

FILE–Dimaculangan coaches Karl and Jumbo. UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — After steering University of the East to a losing-streak busting win, coach Jumbo Dimaculangan is now rooting for his younger brother Karl and National U to complete the elimination round sweep and enter the Season 84 women’s volleyball Finals.

Ja Lana and Dara Nieva delivered 21 points each as UE refused to end its season winless, beating Far Eastern University, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, for the first time in 12 years on Thursday at Mall of Asia Arena.

The win also put an end to their 17-game skid.

Now that their season is over, it’s time for the UE coach to cheer for Karl whose team is seeking to complete a 14-game sweep and earn an outright Finals in its game against University of Santo Tomas at 4 p.m.

The elder Dimaculangan believes his brother will bring the Lady Bulldogs to the Finals for the first time in the Final Four era.

“This time we’re out of the competition, so I’ll be biased. I would say yes, it’s going to be a sweep because he’s a hard working coach,” Jumbo said in Filipino. “Although, we never talk about our respective jobs as coaches. But I know how he works, and he also coached here at UE.”

The UE coach added that even his players know how hardworking and passionate his brother is after he called the shots for the team in the past two seasons before transferring to NU. 

“Including Ja and my players know how passionate he is,” he said.

The brothers of star setter Rhea Dimaculangan of PLDT clashed for the first time in their coaching career this UAAP season with NU sweeping UE in two games.

Jumbo finished his first season as UE coach in seventh place with the Lady Red Warriors having four points to break the tie at 1-13 as the Lady Tamaraws only had three points in the season.

The current Lady Red Warriors coach also ended the team’s 19-game losing streak to the Lady Tamaraws dating back to Season 73 last December 2010.

Jumbo seeks to build up from their lone victory this season, believing his Lady Red Warriors can do better than this.

But for now, he’s hoping that his younger brother and the Lady Bulldogs will bring home the title.

“I’m hoping and praying that they sweep (the tournament), because they really deserve to win the UAAP championship this season,” he said.