Top 10 Underrated Players of UAAP Season 78 Women's Volleyball

Sometimes, there are players who cannot get proper credit on their good performances because they are on the shadows of their teams' star player. 

So here are my list of underrated players and please take note that this is only my opinion. 


10. Bea De Leon (ADMU)

What it's like to live under Alyssa Valdez? Better ask this young middle blocker. For me, Bea De Leon is a more consistent player than Amy Ahomiro and Maddie Madayag. She always contributes points through blocks and spikes as well.

9. Remy Joy Palma (FEU)

Despite being the captain of FEU squad, she is sometimes put below their wing spikers Toni Rose Basas and Bernadeth Pons. For me, her efforts and attitude during the game are the ones that give confidence to her teammates. She also proved that she can help the team by having some offensive blocks with swag after and also her running attacks.

8. Shaya Adorador (UE)

It's true that Judith Abil is the one who currently lifts the UE squad but let's not forget that Shaya is their lone consistent player all throughout the season. Her maturity inside the court gives hope to UE fans that this UAAP 78, they can actually notch their first win.

7. Jasmine Nabor (NU)

Although she's a rookie, she is showing some skills that helps Lady Bulldogs maintain their final four spot. Proving this is the fact that Jasmine is now consistently on their first six replacing Aiko Urdas on utility position. She receives and digs decently and contributes to attacks as well. Indeed, she supports Jaja Santiago and Myla Pablo both in defensive and offensive department.

6. Mylene Paat (ADU)

She's definitely inconsistent on their last games but I know Mylene Paat still deserves a credit on her performance. Why? Because her attacks from the utility is still less predictable and her contribution on blocking is also commendable not to mention her occassional service aces.

5. Cyd Demecillo (DLSU)

This lady came from a foot injury but still somehow able to show her brilliance on their game against Ateneo and FEU. Cyd Demecillo is definitely a silent assassin of her team. She contributes through attacks and blocks but the most visible is her good defensive skills. I can't even count on my fingers on how many times she neutralize the spikes of Alyssa Valdez and other powerful spikers.

4. Jessey De Leon (UST)

I considered her as one of the underrated players because people cannot see her worth on her team. She maybe small for her position as a middle blocker but she showed that she can block her opponents well. Also, I liked the fact that when she is given a set, she do everything to turn it into a point.

3. Mary Joy Baron (DLSU)

This 5'11" middle blocker continues to show her strength and prowess but it seems that volleyball fans do not notice it. Although Baron is ranked # 1 in the blocking department and is best player for two consecutive games, too, only few people recognize her improvement. She is statistically ahead on Mika Reyes and Ara Galang which are her teammates.

2. Jorelle Singh (NU)

Under the blanket of Santiago and Pablo hides a 5"6' open spiker who consistently bring up points and defends the floor as well. Singh may be noticed by some but she's still often ignored by others. Her efforts of killing the ball even though there are tall blockers in front of her is one of the things I like about her. She's also vocal and certainly will be the future leader of NU squad.

1. Marian Buitre (UP)

Names of Molde, Carlos and Dorog can be seen in almost all of the news about volleyball nowadays. Also, Bersola and co-veteran Tiamzon continues to amaze all volleyball fans because of their maturity and skills shown on their games. But there's one name fans surely forget and that is no other than Marian Buitre. This 5'8" spiker can play both middle blocker and utility spiker due to the fact that she's good at blocking and has some force when she's spiking. On their last games against NU and ADMU, she was also consistent and reliable when it comes to scoring points. These proves her role on her team as also one of their veterans.

-Photos courtesy of Rivals PH-

UAAP Volleyball Clash: Second Round Begins...

March 9, 2016

Ateneo Lady Eagles def. NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets: 26-24, 25-17, 25-19
POG: Jhoanna Maraguinot w/ 12 points ( 9 attacks, 2 blocks and 1 service ace)

Ateneo Lady Eagles back to their happy playing inside the court- Photo by Mari Arquiza

FEU Lady Tamaraws def. UE in straight sets: 25-13, 25-18, 25-21

UE's Adorador needs to step up her game to finally give her team a victory- Photo by Rave Sengco

March 6, 2016

UP Lady Maroons def. Ateneo Lady Eagles in four sets: 19-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-22
POG: Nicole Tiamzon w/ 12 points ( 12 attacks)

The super rookie giving the UP's winning point- Photo by Leo Lopez

NU Lady Bulldogs def. ADU Lady Falcons in straight sets: 25-18, 25-12, 25-18
POG: Myla Pablo w/ 13 points ( 9 attacks, 1 block and 3 service aces )

NU's team captain Myla Pablo shouts after getting the match point- Photo by Leo Lopez

March 5, 2016

DLSU Lady Spikers def. FEU Lady Tamaraws in five sets: 25-14, 25-9. 22-25, 19-25, 15-7
POG: Ara Galang w/ 13 points (10 attacks, 1 block and 2 service aces)

DLSU's secret weapon Kim Dy goes for an offensive block against FEU's Malabanan- Photo by Rave Sengco

UST Tigresses def. UE Lady Warriors in straight sets: 25-17, 25-23, 25-16
POG: EJ Laure w/ 15 points (14 attacks and 1 block)

UST builds their España wall against UE's attacker- Photo by Rave Sengco

UAAP Volleyball- First Round Comments and Views

Ateneo Lady Eagles (6 wins - 1 loss)

The Lady Eagles certainly gave their best this first round. Most of their games were finished in straight sets which only proved that they got great offensive skills which obviously led by Alyssa Valdez. I think that one of the reasons that La Salle beat them is due to the fact that they were pressured and their heart strong attitude did not show in that game. Don't get me wrong, truly, La Salle showed skill, confidence and heart but Ateneo was not 100%. If they are, they might give a better game to the Lady Spikers.

My opinion is that other players should step-up bigtime in order for them to come out on top after the second round. Amy Ahomiro needs to familliarize herself in the utility and Maddie and Bea should be consistent in the middle. On the other hand, Maraguinot needs to vary her spikes and their libero Jaime must also receive and dig consistently. Also, Jia Morado's sets should be more unpredictable and hard to read which can be done through combination plays and the like.

De La Salle Lady Spikers (5 wins - 2 losses)

The squad from Taft Manila showed how really tough they are on this round. I was amazed with the performance of Mary Joy Baron, the comeback of Ara Galang, the aggressiveness of Kim Fajardo and the surprise of Kim Dy. I would also commend the rookie Tin Tiamzon though she's inconsistent sometimes. Indeed, these were the keys that made them win against the defending champion, Ateneo. In contrary, I was surprised because they were beaten by UST in straight sets. That's just unbelievable. They were stunned and played like rookies on the court.

DLSU should develop consistency to win on their remaining games. Fierceness, confidence and skills are there but stable performance is sometimes off.

UP Lady Maroons (4 wins - 3 losses)

This very young team proved that they can survive the first strike of disasters coming on their way. Four rookies namely Isa Molde, Diana Carlos, Justine Dorog and Ayie Gannaban showcased their talents and skills against more veteran teams like NU and UST. Molde showered her opponents with strong spikes as well Carlos. Good serves from Dorog and efficient blocks from Gannaban were also showed. Though it was the rookies who were giving light to UP, don't forget the tenacity shown by their new captain Kathy Bersola and the versatility of Nicole Tiamzon for they served as the foundation of their team.

Lady Maroons must continue their good performance and should develop their connection more in order for them to secure their spot on Final Four or maybe a Finals' slot.

FEU Lady Tamaraws (4 wins- 3 losses)

Good serves and excellent floor defense were the weapons of this team. Targeting those opponents who are weak on receiving are truly their first step and if it failed, they will demoralize the opponent's spikers by saving the ball with ease and confidence. Indeed, the persistence and speed of their libero Ria Duremdes are really commendable. Moreover, Giselle Sy's return gave confidence to her teammates for they know that their plays will be orchestrated by a skillfull and veteran setter. Toni Rose Basas and Bernadeth should not be also forgotten for they are the ones who damages offensively.

These girls of green and yellow already got a good balance of offense and defense thus they should improve more on their winning attitude and their killing instinct as well.

NU Lady Bulldogs (3 wins- 4 losses)

After defeating La Salle in four sets, I thought that they were going to continue their stellar performance towards the Finals but unfortunately it was not. Their floor defense were unorganized and their offense were inconsistent during their last three games against UST, FEU and UP. Myla Pablo were ineffective and Santiago was almost neutralized. Furthermore, their libero General was not focused and seemingly forgot her improvement. As usual, setting was just so-so since their coach Roger Gorayeb still find the right link between Soliven, Perez and rookie play-maker Diolan.

I think that NU should first focus on their mentality and attitude while playing because I believe that it is the root cause why their performances were disappointingly inconsistent. If they are able to solve this problem, I know that their offense and defense will follow and they will certainly secure their Final Four position.

UST Tigresses (3 wins - 4 losses)

A lot of upset victories were brought by this team during the first round. Two of those are the five-set win against NU and straight set triumph against DLSU. I'm not saying that they solely won because of luck but it was definitely a factor. NU was out of focus as well as La Salle during those games. On the other hand, Cherry Rondina continues to amaze me due to the fact that she was obviously the one lifting her squad though sometimes Laure comes to life.

I think that Tigresses are really a strong contender for  Final four spot this season. It is just that they should work on developing more firepower from their other players especially Carmela Tunay and Jessey De Leon for they are the veteranson this squad.

ADU Lady Falcons (3 wins- 4 losses)

Tying with NU and UST on the sixth spot, Lady Falcons really showed promise this first round. Jema Galanza's offense were impeccable while the angular spikes of Paat were unpredictable. Sophomore May Roque also starred on their game against FEU by tallying 28 points. Moreover, Libero Tempiatura and Playmaker Emnas were also remarkable since they are the ones responsible for giving their spikers an easy ball to kill.

Certainly, the only problem that I see about their team is on their blocking. Why? Because their middles Dacoron and Alkuino failed to tally more blocks on their last games. Also, their height are at disadvantage against other teams especially La Salle and NU. Therefore to cope with their weakness, they must continue their perfect floor defense to demoralize the other teams' spikers and this will surely help them reach the Final Four once again.

UE Lady Warriors (0 wins- 7 losses)

All other teams definitely did their best on getting points on the win column this round, it seems that this squad didn't want to join the fray. UE Lady Warriors received a lot of praise during their first game against UP due to the fact that they were defending the floor well and guarded the net strongly. Even though they lost, potentials of Baliton, Abil and Adorador were certainly showed that day but for some reason, it did not continue.
They failed to deliver enough for their squad and that's the reason why they still have no wins.

This young team needs to improve a lot on their defense, offense and also attitude during their games. They must be more matured, more agile and more creative so that they can somehow bring a single victory for their school. Final four maybe a long way to go for them but they should remember that development are just on the reach of their hands waiting to be grabbed.

UAAP Volleyball Clash: End of First Round

Team Standings after First Round

ADMU 6-1

DLSU 5-2

UP 4-3

FEU 4-3

NU 3-4

UST- 3-4

ADU 3-4

UE 0-7

Game Results:

March 2, 2016

UST Lady Tigresses def. DLSU Lady Spikers in straight sets: 25-21, 25-22, 25-21

POG: Alyssa Teope w/ 15 excellent sets and 3 points ( 1 block and 2 service aces )

UST's rookie setter show her brilliance on their game against DLSU- Photo by Melonie Lim

UP Lady Maroons def. NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets: 25-19, 25-21, 25-20

POG: Isa Molde w/ 13 points (13 attacks and 1 block)

Rookie Isa Molde finds a gap between NU's tall blockers- Photo by Arvin Lim

February 28, 2016

UP Lady Maroons def. UST Tigresses in four sets: 25-19, 25-18, 14-25, 32-30

POG: Jewel Lai w/ 32 excellent sets and 2 points ( 1 attack and 1 service ace)

Who else orchestrates UP's impeccable offense other than Jewel Lai? - Photo by Melonie Lim

FEU Lady Tamaraws def. NU Lady Bulldogs in straight sets: 25-22, 25-21, 25-21

POG: Bernadeth Pons w/ 18 points ( 18 attacks)

Veteran Bernadeth Pons regains her form after being injured- Photo by Melonie Lim

February 27, 2016

DLSU Lady Spikers def. ADMU Lady Eagles in straight sets: 25-22, 25-14, 25-18

POG: Kim Fajardo w/ 16 excellent sets and 13 points ( 5 attacks, 1 block and 7 service aces)

Setter Kim Fajardo proves that she can also contribute offensively- Photo by Rave Sengco

ADU Lady Falcons def. UE Lady Warriors in straight sets:  25-22, 25-22, 25-19

POG: Jema Galanza w/ 15 points ( 15 attacks)

Adamson's ace spiker Jema Galanza prepares to receive UE's service- Photo by Leo Lopez

BIRADORA OF THE WEEK- Jema Galanza

Photo by Rivals PH

Name: Jessica Margarett Galanza
School: Adamson University
Height: 5'7"
Position: Open Spikers

Bakit siya ang aking napiling ifeature?

Just a simple reason. She is the star of her squad. Jema Galanza proves that the loss of key players such as Amanda Villanueva and Faye Guevarra are not reasons to give up on their campaign. She is considered as the next Shiela Pineda by her fans due to her versatility (being able to spike hard and defend the floor well too), not to mention that they both got cute faces :3

Galanza's all around performance brought her to be the currently #1 Best Scorer, #7 Best Spiker, #8 Best Digger and #10 Best Receiver (Source: TMX Sports). Indeed, she is qualified to be the Most Valuable Player of this season, competing with Ateneo's Valdez, NU's Santiago and UST's Rondina.

Here are her highlights during their game against UST which proves the saying "Don't Judge the Book by its Cover" since cuteness can sometimes be deadly.

Jema Galanza's career-high game against UST- Video courtesy of Lhady Libra

Definitely, Galanza showed to volleyball fans that Adamson still got their groove and that they are going to get back their Final Four position in any way possible though it may be difficult. I know that Galanza's still finding her truest form given that she's only third year. I know that this girl will get an award this season or if not she will defnitely give other MVP Runners a hard time.

Jema Galanza is the future of Adamson Lady Falcons just like Angela Benting, Pau Soriano and Shiela Pineda.This girl who seems to be innocent-looking hides her fierceness inside like a wolf in sheep's clothing.


-fin-

UAAP Volleyball Clash (Week 4)

Team Standings as of February 24, 2016

Photo by Face of PH Volleyball

Game Results:

February 24, 2016

ADU Lady Falcons def. FEU Lady Tamaraws in five thrilling sets: 21-25, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-10
POG: May Roque w/ 23 points ( 19 spikes, 1 block and 2 service aces)

Sophomore May Roque takes advantage of FEU's broken net defense- Photo by Richard Esguerra

ADMU Lady Eagles def. UE Lady Warriors in straight sets: 25-12, 25-10, 25-10
POG: Jia Morado w/ 27 excellent sets and 6 points (4 attacks and 2 blocks)

Ateneo's playmaker Jia Morado explains her next plans to her teammates- Photo by Eric Dimabuyu

February 21, 2016

DLSU Lady Spikers def. UE Lady Warriors in straight sets: 25-10, 25-13, 25-21
POG: Kim Fajardo w/ 14 excellent sets and 6 points

DLSU Setter Kim Fajardo stands tall as the new La Salle Team Captain- Photo by Max Cruz

FEU Lady Tamaraws def. UP Lady Maroons in five thrilling sets: 27-25, 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-12
POG: Ria Duremdes w/ 11 excellent digs and 5 excellent receptions

FEU libero Ria Duremdes proves that she is also worthy to the "Rookie of the Year" Award- Photo by Albert Alejandro

February 20, 2016

ADMU Lady Eagles def. ADU Lady Falcons in straight sets: 25-19, 25-23, 25-16
POG: Alyssa Valdez with 23 points (19 attacks and 4 service aces)

Will one blocker be able to stop the flying Queen Eagle Alyssa Valdez?- Photo by Eric Dimabuyu

UST Tigresses def. Focus-less NU Lady Bulldogs in five sets: 25-14, 25-18, 17-25, 19-25, 15-12
POG: Cherry Rondina with 21 points ( 16 attacks, 1 block and 4 service aces)

UST Cherry Rondina plays all her heart and luck during their last game against NU- Photo by Eric Dimabuyu

COMMENT

BIRADORA OF THE WEEK- ISA MOLDE

Photo by Tiebreaker times.com

Name: Maria Lina Isabel Molde
School: University of the Philippines
Height: 5'6"
Position: Open Spiker

Bakit siya ang aking napiling ifeature?

First is because she is a consistent scorer of her team and second because she's just a rookie but evidently plays as a veteran. Maria Lina Isabel Molde or better known as Isa Molde, is just one of the eight rookies playing for UP Lady Maroons. When I first watched her play last Shakey's V-League Competition where they bagged the 3rd place, I was amazed due to the fact that she was able to angle her spikes well and her attacks were also powerful. She also used her smarts when playing due to the fact that she could contribute points through spike variations like drop ball, off-speed and top-spin. Not to mention that she also delivers to her team via offensive blocks and a decent floor defender too.

Now on UAAP, I promised myself that I will keep my eye on her so that I can be able to see what kind of wonders she can bring to her squad. During their first game against UE Lady Warriors, I presumed that she will already show her skills to UAAP fans but unfortunately, it seemed that it was a bad day for her. She only contributed few points. But things suddenly changed when they fought DLSU Lady Spikers. Even though I could not expect them to win due to the fact that they were a younger team compared to veteran La Salle players, I became happy since they managed to get a set to them and that was because of Isa Molde, who finally show her prowess on spiking.

Isa Molde also led her team on their next game against the defending champions, Ateneo Lady Eagles but she later became powerless like her other dependable rookie teammates like Justine Dorog and Diana Carlos, making them bow down to Ateneo in straight sets.

Finally, their game against Adamson came (I consider this team as equal to UP). Just as I thought, it was a great seesaw battle and a showdown between Molde and Galanza and Carlos and Paat as well but in the end it was UP who brought home the bacon. Isa Molde amidst the trashtalking she experienced from Adamson's Alkuino and Dacoron still played her game and ended up being the best player of the game with 23 points ( 18 spikes, 3 blocks, 2 service aces) and take note with 11 excellent digs also which only proved her versatility.

Watch some of her spikes on this video to see for yourself, the skills she's hiding on her sleeves.
0:10- Isa Molde down-the-line spike, 3:26- Isa Molde targets the zone 1, 4:02- Isa Molde's solid hit

Video courtesy of ABS-CBN Sports and Action

She also showed her blocking skill on this video  (2:04- Molde blocks Adorador)

Video courtesy of ABS-CBN Sports and Action

Indeed, I see the future of UAAP Volleyball or more specifically the future of UP when it comes to volleyball because they got really good and promising rookies like Aiesha Gannaban, Justine Dorog, Diana Carlos and most especially, Isabel Molde. These girls will be UP's firepower for the next four years.

P.S.

With all honesty, I like all the UP rookies and they are all playing superbly but I don't know why I like Isabel Molde to win the Rookie of the Year Award. Maybe because I can see her as an MVP someday or maybe because I was hooked with her maturity and versatility when it comes on playing volleyball. Who knows?

-fin-