Pinoy Spikers (Philippine Spike)

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines and National University will parade new coaches in the upcoming UAAP women’s volleyball tournament slated to open in second semester.

The Lady Maroons will have former car racing champion Vip Isada, while the multi-titled high school mentor Francis Vicente will man the fort for the Lady Bulldogs.

Isada, who is also handling the UP men’s volleyball team, replaced Ron Dulay, while Vicente, who guided University of Santo Tomas to many UAAP girls volleyball crowns, will take over from Dante Alinsunurin, who was transferred to the NU men’s coaching staff.

The Lady Maroons and the Lady Bulldogs were booted out of ‘Final Four’ contention last season after posting 4-10 and 1-13 records, respectively.

Dulay, who guided Ateneo to its first-ever playoff stint in 2008, served UP for two seasons while Alinsunurin replaced Johnny Candoy, who retired last year after coaching more than two decades for NU.

The the Lady Maroons are trying to be relevant again in  UAAP women’s volleyball, the Lady Bulldogs are dead serious to be a contender in the years to come.

In fact, NU snagged prized 6-foot-1 blocker Dindin Santiago from UST. By transfering to the Lady Bulldogs, Santiago, who was a key player in the Tigresses’ successful title runs in the UAAP and Shakey’s V-League, will undergo to a two-year residency. (TJ)

These cheer shirt are sample design  soon to be available at SanJuan Arena for 2010 Shakey’s VLeague 2nd Conference. VLeague provides also cheering shirt for  UST by which didn’t join this 2nd conference. Sooner they also provide more sample of shirts for other schools.

ALMOST two weeks after completing a rare ‘three-peat’ and their fifth championship overall, University of Santo Tomas has decided to take a much-need breather in the Shakey’s V-League.

With the absence of the Tigresses, who are the league’s most popular team, there will be a new champion in the second conference slated to open next month.

“The UST players wants to rest and focus muna sa studies,” said Sports Vision official Ricky Palou. In a span of seven months, the Tigresses has won two V-League titles, emerged victorious in the Iloilo City Unigames and regained the much-coveted UAAP women’s volleyball crown.

In the first conference, UST nipped San Sebastian College, 2-1, to equal La Salle’s feat of winning three consecutive titles in 2005-06
season.

Finals MVP Aiza Maizo led the Tigresses triumph with help from their guest players Mary Jean Balse and Michelle Carolino. By not competing in the second conference, which is slated to open on July 11, UST will now focus on its title-retention campaign in the
UAAP women’s volleyball tournament later this year.

There are two squads which are expected to fill the void left by the Tigresses, the winningest squad in the V-League. Palou said that the league has invited National University and University of Perpetual Help System Dalta to compete in the second conference.

Participating teams in the season-ending tournament are San Sebastian, Ateneo, Lyceum, Adamson, College of Saint Benilde and Far
Eastern University.

UST earlier skipped the 2006 and 2008 first conference. In the nine conferences they competed, the Tigresses always made it to the
championship round. (TJ)

FROM España, high school volleyball star Alyssa Valdez will bring her power-hitting spikes to Katipunan. The highly-touted Valdez is now with Ateneo, as she could be the possible missing piece in the Lady Eagles’ puzzle to bag their first-ever UAAP women’s volleyball title.

“Yes, she (Valdez) is with us right now and she will start training for the team,” said Ateneo athletic director Ricky Palou. The decision of Valdez to play for the Lady Eagles ended months of speculation on where she will play volleyball for college. Valdez was instrumental for University of Santo Tomas in winning three straight UAAP girls volleyball crowns in 2007-09, where she was the three-time MVP honors.

She was also named the UAAP juniors division Athlete of the Year in the 2008-09 season. With her incredible showing in the high school ranks, Ateneo, La Salle and UST slug it out for the services of Valdez, a member of the Philippine youth team which competed in the 2008 Asian Youth Girls Volleyball Championships.

But in the end, Valdez chose the Lady Eagles, who are eyeing to surpass their third place finish in last year’s UAAP women’s volleyball tournament, which is the school’s best-ever performance since joining the league in 1978.

Valdez will be reunited with her former Junior Tigresses teammate Aerieal Patnongon, who will play this year after sitting out last season. Mentored by Roger Gorayeb, Ateneo is bannered by Dzi Gervacio, Kara Acevedo, Bea Pascual, Fille Cainglet, Gretchen Ho and Jem Ferrer.

The Tigresses is the defending champion of the centerpiece event of the UAAP Season 73 second semester.