Through the pain, the fighting spirit remains.
In another test of the Katipunan duel, the University of the Philippines (UP) Women’s Volleyball Team (WVT) pulled off a heart-pounding reverse sweep, 17-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-14, against the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The victory marked the Maroon volleybelles’ first against the Blue Eagles in the UAAP since Season 80 and a poetic resolution to their heartbreak from their second-round encounter in the previous season, where State U lost in five heated sets.
RELATED: UP falls prey to Ateneo in second-round opener
With five of fifteen players injured, UP mined deep into its roster in search of its messiah.
Spark Fin-Ali found
Rookie opposite hitter Fina Ali unleashed 13 game-changing attacks in her UAAP debut, mounting UP’s late run against Ateneo in the third set.
With all strings pulled, junior setter Julia de Leon also stepped up big-time to avert disaster, contributing 12 excellent sets and five points off two attacks and three aces.
Inches away from a two-to-nil set deficit in the second set, 19-24, Ali was fielded in place of a struggling Kianne Olango.
Previously a middle blocker during the 2025 Shakey’s Super League, the foreign student-athlete was converted to an opposite hitter in her maiden UAAP match after being benched in State U’s first game against the University of the East Lady Warriors.
Scoring 13 markers off the bench was no easy feat and senior Niña Ytang made sure to acknowledge that.
“I’m very grateful to Fina, of course. She changed the whole game. And to Fabio. Thank you, Fabio, for seeing that [talent],” said the graduating middle blocker.
WVT head coach Fabio Menta also jumped on the appreciation train for the Nigerian, highlighting Ali’s potential for further improvement.
“Technically, she’s improved so much in the last seven months,” the tactician said. “Fina is one of the greatest projects, probably, for the next [few] years.”
But Ali was quick to shift the credit to the entire team, humbly insisting that collective effort brought the team to victory.
“I didn’t change the game. I believe we all did it. We adopted the system and then from there, everything happened.”
Rough road to glory
Another heartbreak almost came knocking down the walls of Diliman and the Fighting Maroons were running out of options after wearing out their roster shuffles by the second set.
The Diliman squad’s run in the first two sets was far from ideal. “With how we started, that’s not how we really play,” said de Leon.
Ytang also acknowledged the team’s lack of a winning instinct during the start of the match.
“Noong first two sets, ‘yon po talaga parang kulang po talaga sa energy,” UP’s leading scorer quipped. “From the warmup, my energy was too high. I guess I just had to share that energy to everyone.”
After starting with a 0-4 run ended by a soft touch from senior Irah Jaboneta, UP gave away the first set, 17-25, without leading the scoreboard.
A scoring barrage from Blue Eagles’ Zey Pacia and Ana Hermosura then spoiled State U’s early lead in the second set, with Ateneo switching the odds back in their favor by the second technical timeout.
But determined to reestablish themselves as the queens of Katipunan, the Diliman-based squad fought back in close margins to win all later sets.
Despite mounting errors which gave the Blue Eagles a 10-2 run, the Fighting Maroons remained focused and kept the inching Blue Eagles at bay in the fourth set, winning it with 25-23 and sending the match to a coveted extension.
A tug-of-war ensued for the entirety of the fifth set, with Hermosura sending it to a deuce for Ateneo at 14-all.
An emphatic cross-court hit by Ali eventually gave UP a well-needed side out, leading to Ytang sealing the match with a block against Pacia.
Always looking UP
For de Leon, carrying the fighting spirit to the end was what led the team to victory.
“Since hindi pa tapos ‘yong laban, ang mindset namin noon [ay] aabot ‘to ng five sets at tatapusin namin nang may panalo,” said the setter.
Ytang led the scoring department of the Diliman-based squad with 15 points off 11 attacks, three blocks and an ace, while Jaboneta and Dongallo added 14 and 13 markers, respectively.
Jaboneta was benched after her last point during the fifth set due to cramps.
A returning J. Lo Delos Santos led Ateneo with 21 points off 19 attacks, one block and one ace after missing Season 87 due to a torn ACL.
After the struggle with Ateneo, Menta now looks forward to preparing the squad against tough opponents ahead.
“Every game is possible. We [proved] it last year. We beat La Salle and NU. We’re gonna try,” he said.
UP WVT now looks to keep its fortunes growing as it faces De La Salle Lady Spikers on Wednesday, Feb 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
