UAAP volleyball finds shine in new and familiar faces

Casiey Dongallo

The past months saw the UAAP women’s tournament lose some of its standouts to the pros.

The league, however, is still teeming with talent.

Casiey Dongallo, for example, is ready to be the new face of the tournament.

Dongallo’s rise as a superstar-in-the-making nearly overshadowed her school’s moment in the spotlight: University of the East (UE) came from behind to beat Ateneo, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18, on Saturday, the first time the Lady Warriors defeated the Blue Eagles since 2010.

READ: Casiey Dongallo eager to make UE a winner in UAAP volleyball

“The reason why we came to UE is to make history and this is a part of it. The rest is going to be a process, so it’s going to take a while,’’ said UE assistant coach Obet Vital.

And then there are the stars from last season who continue to polish their sheen.

Angel Canino, last season’s rookie-MVP, had 14 points and three of the team’s 10 blocks as defending champion La Salle made quick work of Adamson, 25-16, 25-16, 25-18.

READ: UAAP volleyball: Angel Canino has ‘matured’ in her second year

Shevana Laput had 11 points in the win while Amie Provido found her time to shine with eight points.

“Every game, all I think about is to deliver. We lost several players after last season, so it’s not easy. I’m happy that I’m slowly gaining confidence,’’ said Provido.

Their heroics helped long-time La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus notch his 300th career win in the UAAP.

“I never thought that I could reach that number of wins. What’s really important for me are the condition and performance of my players,’’ said De Jesus after reaching the milestone in his 27th season with the Lady Spikers.

Overall, he won 12 championships for La Salle, including last season, and by the looks of how they clobbered the Lady Falcons at SM MOA Arena, title No. 13 isn’t a remote possibility.

“Amazing,’’ said Canino of De Jesus’ record feat. “When I heard of it. I’m proud to be a part of it.’’

“Coach Ramil always tells us to take it one game at a time. This is our first game, but the hard work in practice has been paying off. It will help our cause to earn as many wins as possible,” said Canino.

Modest milestone

UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

UE already notched a milestone too in the tournament this early—albeit a more modest one. The team won only six games in the past six season, winning only one game in the last two years. The Lady Warriors have already matched that output in their first game.

“If we win two (this season), we’ve already matched the last two years. It’s going to be a bonus if we win three. It’s a new system that we brought to UE. We’re happy about the win, but there’s a lot of work ahead of us,’’ said Vital.

If the Lady Warriors meet their target, it will be Dongallo at the spearhead of that success.

The rookie spiker from Catmon in Cebu was good as advertised, scoring 27 points in her collegiate debut, taking just one game to introduce herself to probably the biggest volleyball audience in the country today.

“I’m just thankful to my teammates. I cannot have 27 points without them,” said Dongallo, who scored the most points by a rookie in a debut.

Kizzie Madriaga, Dongallo’s high school teammate from the California Academy, produced 16 excellent sets and libero Angelica Reyes took care of the defensive end with 22 digs.

“I was able to score those points with the help of my teammates and Kizzie. When I got nervous at the start, my teammates were there to back me up,’’ said the 18-year-old Dongallo.

Dongallo, one of the most sought-after high school players before committing to UE with Grace Fernandez, Jelaica Gajero and Madriaga, bagged the MVP plum in CAL’s title-winning campaign in the Shakey’s Girls Volleyball Invitational League last year.

Her performance there hiked expectations and she has met each one so far.