With math teacher finding solutions, Umingan wins national boy’s crown

The Umingan squad celebrates its stunning triumph. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The problem was as complex as it could get. Small-town boys plus limited funding multiplied by the lack of big-tournament experience.

Fittingly, it was a math teacher who came up with a solution.

“[W]e proved something with this victory, that we, provincial teams, could stay in stride or even beat the strong teams from the big city,” said Eusebio Solis, whose boys emerged champions in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) Under-18 Championships on Sunday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

It took a lot of mental arithmetic to get things done, but Eusebio pulled off a creditable coaching job despite having zero experience in the task.

“It was tough, too tough; we [went] through [many] challenges,” said an ecstatic Solis moments after he coached his team to a thrilling 25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-17, 16-14 victory over VNS-Savouge to capture the boys crown.

Solis, who ran the 100, 200 and 400 meters of athletics in his elementary and high school days representing the unheralded Pangasinan town that sits on the border with Nueva Ecija, is the head of Mathematics at the Umingan National High School and his penchant for solving problems was maximized by the team very few people would have picked as a favorite to win the title.

The squad is practically self-funded, with parents of the athletes chipping in their share and Mayor Michael Cruz pitching so the young Pangasinense could travel to the tournament—and more.

The team is also headed for the Palarong Pambansa nationals in July and earning that spot meant a road trip to Laoag City for the regionals as Pangasinan’s representative. The team turned back Ilocos Norte there for the right to represent the region in Cebu.

Recover, prepare

From Laoag City, the team took a plane ride because they had a semifinals duel against Canossa Academy of Lipa City at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

“We got to Rizal Memorial at 3:30 p.m., enough for the team to recover and prepare for the semifinals,” Solis said.

The Umingan boys recovered enough to hammer out a four-set victory against their Batangas counterparts and advanced to Sunday’s final.

To sweeten that feat, Umingan’s Michael Angelo Fernandez, a former long-jumper whose leaping ability served him well in his new sport, was named boys’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) and First Best Open Hitter.

Meanwhile, in what is becoming a fixed rivalry in high school girls’ volleyball, University of Santo Tomas (UST) held off National University, 25-17, 17-25, 25-20, 25-23, to capture the girls’ crown.

UST’s Kimberly Rubin led the young Tigresses to victory in the battle between powerhouse UAAP programs and went on to win the girls’ MVP. Rubin was also named the First Best Open Hitter while awards also went to her teammates Avril Denise Bron (First Best Middle Blocker) and Lianne Penuliar (Second Best Middle Blocker).

“Good job by the girls,” UST head coach Lerma Giron, who steered the squad to a perfect tournament run en route to the title, said. “All of them stand out in difficult times.”