AFTER more than two years of waiting, teams are raring to strut their wares in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament which begins on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Coach Oliver Almadro can’t hide his excitement as Ateneo opens its back-to-back championship bid against fabled rival La Salle which will be the highlight of the heavy four-game opening day fixture.

“Finally,” said Almadro during the press conference held yesterday in between the men’s basketball games. “Thankful kami, excited, of course, medyo may nerbyos dahil two and a half years walang UAAP”

The Lady Eagles lost to the Lady Spikers in their lone rivalry game in 2020 before the season was scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Talagang medyo kinakabahan. Hoping maging maganda yung season, walang injuries,” said La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo.

Without any pre-season leagues to play, expect that the teams will be undergoing getting-to-know stage in the early part of the tournament.

“It has been a while. The games will be intriguing. We are ready to go, said coach Godfrey Okumu, as University of the Philippines opens its post-Tots Carlos era against University of the East.

Other opening day fixtures are the match-up between traditional rivals University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University, and National University and Adamson.

“The UAAP is glad to have women’s volleyball back in Season 84. The tournament was cut short in Season 82 at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic which means we have not had a champion in three years. Since then, the players and supporters have been yearning for one of the most popular events in the UAAP calendar,” said the league’s executive director Rebo Saguisag.

“The UAAP has witnessed so many thrilling matches in women’s volleyball – played in packed venues – in the past few years and we can expect more of that as our players go all out every game representing their schools with pride and honor.” he added.

To give way for the UAAP volleyball games, the men’s basketball semifinals and Finals will be played on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday while the women’s volleyball matches will take over the college hoops schedule on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The Lady Eagles were the last women’s volleyball champions, winning over the Tigresses in a thrilling three-game series in 2019.

All the games will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Games Thursday:

(Mall of Asia Arena)
10 a.m. – UST vs FEU
12 noon – NU vs AdU
4 p.m. – Ateneo vs DLSU
6 p.m. – UP vs UE