Barbie Jamili during the V-League. Photo from V-League
MANILA, Philippines — Incoming rookie spiker Barbie Jamili is no longer with Far Eastern University.
FEU volleyball program head Dzi Gervacio bared Jamili hasn’t rejoined the team since coming home to her province, Cebu, to attend to a family emergency.
“She left the school. She had an emergency. Her dad was rushed to the hospital so she had to leave, fly back to Cebu even before the break,” said Gervacio told Inquirer Sports over the phone.
“And then wala na. We reached out to her when she’s gonna come back. We never heard from her. She hasn’t been back since then ever her stuff is still at the dorm,” she added.
Gervacio, who oversees FEU’s volleyball teams, said they understood that the young spiker needs to take care of her family first. But when she reached out to the athlete’s father, he said “she [Jamili] might stay in Cebu to finish her studies.”
“Honestly, I’m also concerned what’s her plan. She’s just a first year and if she’s planning to not continue her studies in general, sayang naman. I’m all for the welfare of the kid also. And then the dad said he’s asking for her to go back para makapagpaalam ng maayos also and said yun nga she might continue her studies in Cebu,” Gervacio shared.
The 19-year-old Jamili, a product of the successful Nazareth School of National University program, chose FEU as her college school, wanting to take on new opportunities and have a new beginning.
The Cebuana hitter was quick to turn heads and make an immediate impact when she played for the Lady Tamaraws in the Shakey’s Super League and the V-League.
Although FEU didn’t reach the semifinals of both preseason leagues, Jamili was one of the young Lady Tamaraws, who showed potential in leading the team’s rebuild.
Jamili, a Tourism student enrolled during the preseason leagues but she didn’t return and enroll for the second semester in time for the UAAP. If Jamili decides to transfer to another UAAP school or NCAA team and play, she is required to serve a one-year residency.
With Jamili deciding not to continue playing for FEU, rookie coach Tina Salak will lean on her holdovers led by Chenie Tagaod, setter Christine Ubaldo, and libero Max Juangco.
Gervacio was glad to see other players stepping up even after losing their prized recruit.
“We have to move on also. We can’t wait forever. We’re grateful enough that there are other girls who stepped up. We’re preparing already for the UAAP season,” she said. “It’s sad that a teammate left but of course, the main focus right now is the UAAP. The bigger picture, the bigger focus is the UAAP. It’s very competitive [within the team] also that’s the culture that coach Tina is building.”
FEU seeks to rise from its worst finish in Season 84 when it went 1-13, including 11 straight losses to end the elimination round. The Lady Tamaraws missed the Final Four for the first time since 2014.