La Salle stymies UP XI to take first

Standings: La Salle 29 pts, FEU 27, UP 27, NU 23, Ateneo 22, UST 12, UE 4, Adamson 1.

Matches on Sunday:
(FEU-Diliman pitch)
1 p.m. – FEU vs UE (men)
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs UST (men)
(Moro Lorenzo Football Field, Ateneo)
1 p.m. – UP vs Adamson (men)
3 p.m. – La Salle vs NU (men)

La Salle moved ahead in the men's football standings heading into the final set of matches of the eliminations, securing a 3-0 victory over UP at the artificial turf of FEU-Diliman on Thursday afternoon.

Nathan Alquiros secured a brace for the Green Booters, scoring off a Yoshi Koizumi assist in the 77th minute, then made Ace Villanueva guess wrong on a penalty strike in the 84th minute.

Chuckie Uy, who had been fouled inside the area to warrant that penalty for DLSU, scored the final goal in stoppage time.

Green Booters mentor Hans Smit remarked that, "This is the best game we played." He adds that the result is a "morale-booster."

The loss drops the Maroons to a tie with FEU with 27 points.

In the earlier game, Adamson finally secured its first points since reviving the football program this season, snatching a 2-2 draw with UE.

Brian Jumo secured a goal in the 28th minute off a Jusuel Pilarca cross, then provided the assist to his twin brother Bless in the 85th minute for the Falcons, negating the two goals from Regil Galaura in the 32nd and 84th minute.

Adamson head coach Nolan Manito said that he told the team that by the end of the season, they would be able to snatch at least a draw this season.

Lady Bulldogs make women's volleyball postseason

NU officially booked its seat in the postseason for the third straight season with a tightly fought four-set victory over Adamson, 25-18 22-25 26-24 25-19.

Jaja Santiago led the way with 25 points, including six blocks, while Rizza Mandapat added 12 points and nine digs for head coach Roger Gorayeb. The duo joined forces to allow the Lady Bulldogs to pull away in the fourth set after a 7-all deadlock.

Mylene Paat and Jessica Galanza led the Lady Falcons with fifteen markers each, while Amanda Villanueva added fourteen.

In the second game, FEU forced a four-way tie for the fourth and final spot in the stepladder by defeating UP, 19-25 25-15 25-19 and 25-19.

Head coach Shaq delos Santos was pleased to see their willingness to win, noting that the skills are already there. He adds, "Malaki ang tiwala sa team ko, kahit mga bata pa yan, naniniwala ako sa kakayahan nila. Paghihirapan namin yung last game against Adamson, yun ang kailangan naming magawa."

Bernadette Pons topscored with 20 points and 11 digs, while Remy Palma netted 16, including three blocks.

The Lady Maroons, hampered by an ineffective Nicole Tiamzon all-game long, were led by Angeli Araneta and Marian Buitre, who combined for 26 points.

That spot will receive some clarity this weekend, as FEU and Adamson duke it out in one matchup, while UST (against UE) and UP (against NU) seek to muddle the picture.

On the men's side, Ateneo dispatched La Salle, 25-17 27-25 and 25-21 to guarantee itself of at least a playoff for the twice-to-beat advantage, while UST continued its course to snatch that with a 25-12 28-26 and 25-21 straight set win over UP.

UP, La Salle in huge UAAP football tiff

The last Thursday game of Season 77 men's football will guarantee a new league leader.

La Salle and UP tangle at the FEU-Diliman artificial turf in the main event for the afternoon doubleheader, coming off 2-0 victories this past weekend.

Still feeling the sting of losing Gelo Diamante to a clavicle injury, the Green Booters have somehow cobbled together a patchwork unit up front, using the likes of Chuck Uy, Christian Zubiri, Yoshi Koizumi, and even stellar defender Nico Villacin to compensate for the Davao native's absence. At 26 points, Hans Smit's side would move up to solo first with a win.

Meanwhile, UP didn't have a couple of their key defensive cogs in Kobe Ochoa and Patxi Santos for their win over UE last Saturday. As long as they do not lose, Anto Gonzales' men would move into solo first.

Opening the doubleheader will be the matchup of UE and Adamson. Already out of the postseason race, both teams seek to pursue a positive close to their season.

The two matches will be televised LIVE on Sports+Action in lieu of its normal Friday telecast due to the live coverage of the UAAP Juniors basketball finals.

Final Open Clinic for Jr. NBA & Jr. NBA set

The final Open Clinic for the 2015 season of Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA will take place on February 17, 2015 at the Casa Manila Clubhouse in Novaliches Quezon City.

Interested participants can opt to go on either the 10am to 12 nn portion or on the 2-4 portion. Either way, they would be able to partake of the program's activities aimed to get them acquainted with drills, conditioning exercises, skills stations, and most importantly, the core values of Sportsmanship, Teamwork, (a positive) Attitude and Respect (STAR).

The next phase of the Jr. NBA and Jr. WNBA program will be its Regional Selection Camps, which will kick off this weekend (February 21 and 22) at the Seminario de San Jose in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

The other venues for these activities will be at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna (February 28 and March 1), Ateneo de Iloilo (March 7 and 8), St. Louis University in Baguio (March 14 and 15), and St. John's Institute in Bacolod (March 21 and 22). Davao will have its Regional Selection Camp on March 28 and 29 in an unspecified venue, while the PICC Forum on April 11 and 12 will be the location for Metro Manila's camp.

The outstanding participants in these RSC will then proceed to the annual National Training Camp on April 24-26. From that NTC, ten outstanding males and five outstanding females will be named as the 2015 Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA All-Stars. In addition, a coach of the year will be selected from that group.

Details on how to participate in the Jr. NBA / Jr. WNBA program are available online (www.jrnba.asia/philippines) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jrnbaphilippines). Important to note that the program is FREE for boys and girls in its entirety.

12 straight for Ateneo in UAAP women's volleyball

Standings   W    L
Ateneo        12   0
La Salle      11   1
Adamson     5    6
NU              5    6
UST             5    7
UP               4    7
FEU            4    7
UE              0    12

Games Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Arena:
8 a.m. – Ateneo vs FEU (men)
10 a.m. – La Salle vs UST (men)
2 p.m. – UST vs UP (women)
4 p.m. – FEU vs NU (women)

Defending champions Ateneo made history on Wednesday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena, as they defeated UST, 25-18 25-22 and 25-22 to remain unbeaten this season after twelve games.

Alyssa Valdez's 21 points led the charge as the Lady Eagles reached the 12-win mark in the eliminations for the first time. Amy Ahomiro and Michelle Morente combined to score 23 points, while Jia Morado contributed 33 sets.

"We are really thankful we survived this game talaga. It was very well played. Yung UST, sobrang ganda ng game nila, yung depensa nila. Ipinapakita sa amin na marami pang kailangan na mai-improve," said the reigning MVP.

Much like their win against FEU, the ladies of head coach Anusorn Bundit got some breaks due to opposing errors late, dooming them to back-to-back losses after stringing together four straight wins.

The victory, however, came with some worries, as both Aeriel Patnongon and Maddie Madayag suffered left ankle injuries, with the latter not being able to continue. Valdez herself also had her wrist taped a bit after getting a knock while hustling for a ball. In a positive note, Bea de Leon was suited up to play, although the rookie's services was not needed for this one.

In the other women's match, La Salle continued their impressive form with a 25-6 25-17 and 25-17 victory over winless UE. Ara Galang and Mika Reyes led the Lady Spikers with ten markers apiece.

For last season's finals participants, yesterday marked the first day of their cramped schedule, to be capped off by their much anticipated second round meeting on February 18.

Earlier, the postseason cast for men's volleyball was officially set, after defending champions National University eliminated Far Eastern University, 25-13 25-23 25-23. Adamson had officially booked its seat after dispatching a winless UE side, 25-16 25-15 and 25-20.

La Salle snaps UST streak, Ateneo keeps winning run going in UAAP volleyball

Standings  W   L
Ateneo       11   0
La Salle     10    1
UST           5    6
UP             4    6
Adamson    4    6
NU             4    6
FEU           4    7
UE              0    10

Games Saturday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum:

8 a.m. – UE vs UST (men)
10 a.m. – UP vs Ateneo (men)
2 p.m. – UE vs NU (women)
4 p.m. – UP vs Adamson (women)

La Salle clinched the other twice-to-beat advantage in UAAP women's volleyball yesterday, as they stopped UST's four-game winning streak, 25-21 25-9 and 25-18, at the Filoil Flying V Arena.

Ara Galang scored 17 points, while Cyd Demecillo added twelve in the straight sets win, their tenth in eleven games this season.

Head coach Ramil de Jesus praised the performance of the Lady Spikers, saying that "Siguro, maganda lang inilaro ng mga bata at na-execute yung iniaral nila sa scouting."

Said scouting paid off, as they limited UST mainstays EJ Laure, Pam Lastimosa, and Ria Meneses to six points each, with Carmela Tunay held to only three markers.

The loss dropped the Tigresses to a 5-6 record, but still allowed them to keep solo third

The other women's match saw Ateneo maintain its unblemished record with a 25-23 25-21 25-23 win over FEU.

The Lady Tams had a chance to snatch an advantage in the third set, but were done in by consecutive errors from Toni Rose Basas and Kyle Negrito.

Playing their first game without Bea de Leon, the Lady Eagles collectively filled the gap mainly by plugging Maddie Madayag into that hole. The rookie netted four points in her first start for the team.

It had been announced that de Leon will be out for 4-6 weeks due to an index finger injury. According to Alyssa Valdez, the team had to adjust to not having Bea and "we were glad we were able to survive this game."

Valdez finished with 23 points and seven digs to lead the defending champions, while Amy Ahomiro added 13 markers, including five service aces.

The Lady Tamaraws dropped to 4-7 with the loss, with Bernadette Pons contributing thirteen points and Jerrili Malabanan adding nine.

In the men's division, upsets prevailed, with FEU defeating Adamson, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22, and 25-23. The Green Spikers of La Salle, already eliminated in the Final Four race at 3-8, issued a third straight loss for National University, hacking out a 26-24, 25-19, and 25-22 win to the defending champions.

Philippine women's basketball team tryouts slated

Tryouts are already underway for the senior women's national basketball team.

Under the auspices of the newly-minted head coach Patrick Aquino, the tryouts are being held at the 3rd floor of the SGS Building (1335 Araneta Ave., Brgy. Sto. Domingo, QC), with the initial schedule being from 5-7pm on February 4, 7, 9-11.

Those who were part of the national pool under the leadership of Haydee Ong are already automatically included in the current iteration.

Interested parties can contact 0917-8686234 for more details.

Aquino, who is also the mentor for the National University women's team, plans on trimming down the initial pool to just twenty players before making the final cut of twelve ladies for the SEABA and SEA Games later this year. To prepare for these two tournaments, the team will have some tuneup matches in Thailand in late March to early April.

NBA now on LINE

NBA and LINE in cahoots

On Wednesday, the NBA and Line Corporation (the company behind the communications app LINE), entered into a digital content partnership, enabling the league to be the first among the major American professional sports leagues to have account on LINE.

Using the account @nba_global, the NBA can send real-time news updates and information towards those connected to as it as "friends." LINE will also make available NBA-themed LINE stickers for fans who use the app to share with their fellow users.

LINE CEO Akira Morikawa was pleased to announce this partnership, seeing this as a means to expand its user base, while for NBA Asia Managing Director Scott Levy, he sees this as another way for the league to reach out to its tech-savvy fans worldwide.

Since being launched in 2011, LINE now has a reach of more than 181 million monthly active users spread over 230 countries and regions. The free messaging app offers one-to-one and group messaging, as well as domestic and international voice and video calls. It also has additional elements like stickers, a personal Home, a Timeline, and numerous LINE family apps, including LINE games and LINE camera.

Streaking UST, La Salle clash in UAAP women's volleyball

Standings  W   L
Ateneo      10   0
La Salle     9    1
UST           5    5
UP             4    6
FEU           4    6
Adamson   4    6
NU             4    6
UE             0    10

Games today at the Filoil Flying V Arena:

8 a.m. – Adamson vs FEU (men)
10 a.m. – NU vs La Salle (men)
2 p.m. – FEU vs Ateneo (women)
4 p.m. – La Salle vs UST (women)

Two streaking teams battle it out at the Filoil Flying Arena later today, with La Salle facing off against UST at 4pm.

The Tigresses have racked off four straight wins to rise from seventh to solo third in the standings, aiming to extend that winning run and also secure some breathing room in their quest to secure a spot in the postseason.

To secure that sought-after breathing room, however, UST will have to deal with last year's finalists in back-to-back games, starting today against the Lady Spikers and next week against Ateneo.

Head coach Odjie Mamon sees this matchup against La Salle as a chance to gauge their improvement from their struggles earlier in the season. Their first round meeting ended in DLSU's favor, 25-23 27-25 and 25-17.

As for La Salle, a win here would ensure them a twice-to-beat advantage in the postseason. Head coach Ramil de Jesus remains cautious, saying that "UST is peaking right now. So ganoon, kailangang paghandaan."

The other women's match involves the defending champions playing their first game without Bea de Leon. The rookie suffered a broken index finger during practice and will be sidelined for around four to six weeks.

The Lady Eagles will be a huge test for the Lady Tamaraws, as they try to get themselves a leg up in the logjam for the final two postseason slots still in play.

Also taking place this morning is the men's division, with NU and Adamson seeking to get themselves closer to earning postseason berths against separate opposition.

UAAP high school basketball postseason cast finalized

Ateneo closed out its eliminations campaign at the UAAP in dominating fashion, as the Blue Eaglets routed the National University Bullpups, 76-49, inside the Blue Eagle Gym this past Saturday afternoon.

Mike Nieto showed why he is poised to be named as the MVP, scoring 29 points and grabbing ten rebounds. The senior nearly matched the defending champions' team output in scoring in the first quarter, netting himself twelve points to give the Eaglets a 25-13 lead after ten minutes.

Lorenzo Joson added ten points, eight of which came in the second period, as they continued to pull even further away to erect a 47-29 lead.

Nieto ensure no attempted comeback will take place, outscoring the Bullpups 13-10 in the final ten minutes. 

The victory completes a 14-0 eliminations for last season's losing finalists, a feat that earns them an automatic return trip and its accompanying thrice-to-beat advantage.

With Ateneo's sweep, the stepladder format will be invoked into action, but the official matchups will only be sorted out once a playoff game will be played first.

Adamson and La Salle-Zobel ensured that said playoff will happen after dispatching their respective opponents in contrasting fashion.

The Baby Falcons rode on Gerald Fernandez, Miguel Sasuman, Frederick Tungcab, and James Pasturan to defeat UST, 76-67, securing their first postseason since 2008. The foursome finished with a combined fifty points and twenty rebounds.

Adamson ran over the Tiger Cubs in the first quarter, forcing the also-ran side to 16 turnovers leading to seventeen points and a 31-7 lead at the end of the period. UST tried to come back in the fourth quarter through the efforts of Patrick Lapena and a defense that forced the Baby Falcons to go 2/14 from the field, but the lead proved to be too massive to overcome.

On the other hand, the Junior Archers survived their virtual-playoff against Far Eastern University, 60-58, to open the scheduled quadruple-header.

Aljun Melencio made two free throws with 8.5 second remaining to provide Zobel with a 59-55 lead. Brandrey Bienes managed to cut the lead to just one with around five seconds left, but Miguel Cabarrus made the first free throw and missed the second for the final score. Ricky Peromingan would then miss his desperation heave that could have been the game-winning shot for the Baby Tams.

Melencio finished with fourteen points, five rebounds, two assists, and five steals. Joaquin Banzon led all scorers with eighteen points on 8/12 shooting, while Marvin Lee topscored for FEU with 16 points.

In the lone non-bearing game of the day, the UE Junior Warriors finished the season winless after bowing to UPIS, 93-65.

Adamson and La Salle-Zobel's wins, coupled with NU's loss, means that a triple tie was forged involving the three teams at 9-5. To break the tie and determine the stepladder match-ups, the two teams with the superior quotient (Adamson and NU) will face off on Tuesday afternoon, with the winner taking a twice-to-beat advantage and the second seed, while the loser will be tagged as the third seed and will face the Junior Archers in a sudden-death game to kick off the postseason officially on Thursday.

Jimmy Alapag appointed to FIBA Players Commission

The first FIBA Players' Commission will have a Filipino flavor to it.

Recently-retired point guard and newly-minted Talk N' Text team manager Jimmy Alapag was named as one of the members of the newly-installed commission, with a five-year term for the position, ending in 2019.

The 2011 MVP and assistant coach to Tab Baldwin is looking forward to the experience, adding that he is "very honored" to be representing the Philippines in this commission.

The decision to appoint the Tropang Texters legend was revealed in a January 23 letter from Secretary-General Patrick Baumann to SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan and SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios (with a copy being furnished to Players Commission chair Vlade Divac, FIBA-Asia president Sheikh Saud Bin Ali Al-Thani, FIBA-Asia secretary-general Hagop Khajirian, and National Federations and Sports Director Zoran Radovic). In the letter he writes, “It is a pleasure for me to inform you…that Mr. Alapag has been appointed as member of the FIBA Players’ Commission... We already look forward to closely working and collaborating with him for the sake of our sport and its athletes.”

"We are very proud of Jimmy. When FIBA asked for nominees to its Players Commission, we had no hesitation in nominating him. He definitely will make his country proud and we are confident he will make positive contributions in the work of the Commission for the Players' benefit," said Barrios.

The creation of the Players Commission had been decided during the FIBA Congress in Seville before the FIBA World Cup. The Commission is tasked to study issues relating to players of all age groups, make proposals to the Central Board that would improve the conditions of players, recommend matters regarding practices or activities that could affect player interests, and provide feedback on possible improvements in FIBA competitions.

Divac, in his role as the commission head, will be a member of the 26-man Central Board, currently headed by Horatio Muratore of Argentina.

Alapag joins a growing Filipino contingent inside the organization, with Pangilinan already appointed into the FIBA Central Board last September, Dr. Raul Canlas to the FIBA Medical Commission, and SBP consultant Atty. Edgar Francisco to the FIBA Legal Commission.

Joining Divac and Alapag in the Players Commission are: Adriana Dos Santos, Elisabeth Egnell, Ilona Korstin, Hanno Mottola, Boniface N'Dong, Rasho Nesterovic, Fabricio Oberto, Olumide Oyedeji, Jenni Screnn, Katie Smith, Amaya Valdemoro, and Tomas Van Den Spiegel. The commission will also have someone representing the differently-abled via the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation.

Second-semester UAAP updates

Bat-related sports kicked off their respective seasons this past weekend, with perceived contenders opening with positive results.

Defending champions Ateneo began their quest for a three-peat with a victory over Adamson at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium. The Blue Batters took a 4-0 lead before holding on to a 5-3 win.

Ateneo relied on the arm of last season's MVP, Andy Tan, who fanned five Falcons, to lead the charge.

The other results saw the Green Batters of La Salle defeat UP, 19-5 in seven innings, while UST took care of NU, 8-3.

In softball, NU invoked the "mercy rule" against Ateneo with a 15-5 victory. The Lady Bulldogs needed just six innings to secure the opener.

La Salle defeated last season's third placers UST, 7-3, while UE bested UP, 10-4.

As for Adamson, they extended their winning streak to 49 games with a 11-1 victory against UST. 

At the Olivarez Sports center, NU continues its dominance in collegiate lawn tennis, losing just one match over the four games this past weekend.

Led by last season's MVP Fritz Verdad, the Bulldogs dispatched La Salle, 5-0, before taking care of things against UST, 4-1. On the distaff side, the Patrimonio siblings (Christine and Clarice) swept La Salle and Ateneo, 5-0.

Trying to chase NU down are UST and UP in the men's division (both toting 3-1 records), while UST totes the same win-loss record as the defending champions in the women's division.

UAAP Season 77 second round college football schedule

For those looking for the men's football schedule for the UAAP, this is the latest official one that was released on Monday night Tuesday afternoon.

Thursday matches are bookmarked to be televised on Friday afternoons on Sports+Action.

Women:

DATE	VENUE	TIME	LIGHT	VS	DARK
JAN. 24	ATENEO	4PM	UST		FEU
JAN. 25	FEU-D	1PM	La Salle		Ateneo
FEB. 1	ATENEO	3PM	UP		Ateneo
	FEU-D	1PM	La Salle		FEU
FEB. 7	ATENEO	4PM	UP		FEU
	ATENEO	6PM	UST		La Salle
FEB. 14	ATENEO	4PM	FEU		Ateneo
FEB. 15	FEU-D	1PM	UP		UST
FEB. 21	ATENEO	4PM	Ateneo		UST
	ATENEO	6PM	La Salle		UP

Top two teams will advance to the finals, which will take place in March at Rizal Memorial.

Men:

DATE	VENUE	TIME	LIGHT	VS	DARK
JAN. 24	ATENEO	6PM	NU		UE
JAN. 25	ATENEO	1PM	UP		Ateneo
	ATENEO	3PM	UST		Adamson
	FEU-D	3PM	FEU		La Salle
JAN. 29	FEU-D	1PM	UE		Ateneo
	FEU-D	3PM	La Salle		UST
JAN. 31	ATENEO	4PM	UP		NU
	ATENEO	6PM	Adamson		FEU
FEB. 1	ATENEO	1PM	UST		UE
	FEU-D	3PM	Ateneo		La Salle
FEB. 5	FEU-D	1PM	Adamson		NU
	FEU-D	3PM	FEU		UP
FEB. 8	ATENEO	1PM	UST		UP
	ATENEO	3PM	UE		La Salle
	FEU-D	1PM	Ateneo		Adamson
	FEU-D	3PM	NU		FEU
FEB. 12	FEU-D	1PM	NU		UST
	FEU-D	3PM	FEU		Ateneo
FEB. 14	ATENEO	6PM	UE		UP
FEB. 15	ATENEO	1PM	NU		Ateneo
	ATENEO	3PM	FEU		UST
	FEU-D	3PM	La Salle		Adamson
FEB. 19	FEU-D	1PM	Adamson		UE
	FEU-D	3PM	La Salle		UP
FEB. 22	ATENEO	1PM	UP		Adamson
	ATENEO	3PM	La Salle		NU
	FEU-D	1PM	FEU		UE
	FEU-D	3PM	Ateneo		UST

Top four teams will advance to the semifinals, which will take place in March at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium.

FIBA executives to come in the Philippines for FIBA World Cup inspection

A three-man FIBA Evaluation Commission will be coming to the Philippines to check on the country's capability to host the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Sports Director Lubo Kotleba, Director-General for media and marketing Frank Leenders, and Events Director Predrag Bogosavljev will be arriving to the country to represent FIBA in determining the readiness to host the World Cup, according to SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios. FIBA Secretary-General Patrick Baumann will arrive on Thursday to join the commission.

They will have a busy schedule to attend to in their brief stay, which will include inspections at venues across the country. They are going to check out the Philippine Arena, SMART-Araneta Coliseum, and the Mall of Asia Arena on Tuesday, an itinerary that will include watching the PBA Commissioner's Cup match between Ginebra and Meralco. Wednesday will be devoted to a trip to Cebu, where the SM Group is planning on putting up a sports facility within the next two years.

In between those visits will be meetings with prospective hotel locations (EDSA Shangri-La, Sofitel, Solaire), as well as with local executives and SBP officials. Tourism Secretary Alberto del Rosario himself will be meeting with Baumann upon his arrival.

The Philippines is competing with China, Turkey, Qatar, and Franco-German collaboration for the right to host the World Cup, last held in Spain last year. It had hosted the competition in its previous iteration (as the FIBA World Championships) back in 1978, with the Araneta Coliseum and Rizal Memorial Coliseum as the venues. Yugoslavia won the tourney against the Soviet Union, 82-81, in a final that needed overtime.

The final bids for the 2019 FIBA World Cup hosting rights will be submitted by April 30, with the FIBA Central Board tasked to deliberate on each bid until a winner emerges after their June meeting.

NU, UST hold serve in UAAP Season 77 tennis

The Olivarez Sports Center played host to the UAAP lawn tennis tournament, with a triple tie atop the men's leaderboard after the opening weekend.

Three-peat seeking Fritz Verdad and National University opened their Season 77 campaign on a rousing note,  dispatching UE and Ateneo with 4-1 victories to extend their winning streak to 24 games.

Joining NU on top are UP and UST. Both schools needed close 3-2 victories (both over La Salle) to complement their 4-1 wins (against Ateneo for UP and against UE for UST).

On the women's side, UST secured the early 2-0 lead to temporarily forge ahead in the standings.

Anchored on Kendies Malinis, the Female Tennisters from Espana defeated UP, 4-1, then squeaked past La Salle, 3-2.

Meanwhile, the Patrimonio siblings (Season 76 MVP Tin and rookie Clarice) powered National University to a 4-1 win over UP to kick off their title defense.

La Salle is in third place with a 1-1 record after defeating Ateneo, 4-1. The Katipunan schools have lost all of their matches so far (Ateneo 0-1, UP 0-2).

The Trequartista Sweeper: Laying out the 2015 local football domain

Football in 2015 looks to be fun-filled and packed. Lots of things to be looking forward to in these parts. Let me count the ways:

PFF-SMART Club Nationals: Eight teams left in the running, (defending champions Ceres-La Salle; UFL champions Global FC; UFL Cup champions Loyola Meralco Sparks; UFL Division I sides Kaya FC and Stallion FC; UFL Division II side Laos FC; M'lang FC from the Mindanao qualifiers; and ERCO-Brothers from the Visayas qualifiers).

The eight teams will be divided to two groups of four squads, with Global heading Group A and Ceres in Group B. A round robin will take place from January 22-27, with the top two teams proceeding to the crossover semifinals on January 29. The winners will then tangle in the title game on January 31.

Group A matches: January 22, 24, 26.
Group B matches: January 23, 25, 27.


All matches will be at Rizal Memorial, with 4pm and 7pm kickoffs. Admission is FREE.

The draw to determine the teams in Group A and B will take place today,

United Football League: Expected to open in February due to the aforementioned Club Nationals. What we do know is about their plans?

1. First provincial Division I game.
2. An all-star game.
3. Div II has a little bit of a shaky feel for a few reasons, namely the fact that five teams (Navy, Air Force, Nomads, Union Internacional-Manila, Dolphins United FC, and Cimarron FC) did not submit their list of dropped players.
4.Deadline for the submission of roster additions is 11:59pm tonight.

UAAP: The papal visit interrupted the league's first round campaign.

First round ends today (for the women) and tomorrow (for the men). Second round to begin on January 24 (which also is the start for the high school portion of the tournament)

Minor tinkering with format. Postseason now one-match affairs, which are tabled for March 1 and March 8, which will be at Rizal Memorial. HS final is on March 7 at FEU-Diliman, where all of their matches will take place.

NCAA: The papal visit interrupted the league's second round campaign, with action set to resume today and Friday (for college) and Thursday (for high school).

Simple format: Top four teams from the first round advance. Round robin ensues with the four teams. Whoever comes out on top from that will face San Beda (for college) and La Salle-Greenhills (for high school) in a playoff on January 26. If San Beda or La Salle-Greenhills were to be the teams on top of the second round, no playoff necessary and they will be declared as champions.

The Trequartista Sweeper: Laying out the 2015 continental football domain

Football in 2015 looks to be fun-filled and packed. Lots of things to be looking forward to in these parts. Let me count the ways:

Senior National Team. The Azkals have their FIFA 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Just months after Germany hoisted its fourth Jules Rimet Trophy, the quest for spots in Russia will commence. The Asian Football Confederation tweaked the qualification methodology, streamlining it to serve concurrently as the qualifiers for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

If you recall, the Philippines opened its 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualification campaign against Sri Lanka. You remember this one, right?



Or you more remember it for this one...



The Philippines has done well enough to be able to do away with the two-legged preliminary playoff involving the lower-ranked teams in the AFC on March 12 and 17. The prelims are conducted in order to whittle down the number of nations to 40. A draw then will be conducted in April to determine the eight groups of five that will comprise the second preliminary round.

The second preliminary round is a double round robin, with matches slated on June 11 & 16, September 3 & 8, October 8 & 13, November 12 & 17, as well as March 24 & 29 in 2016. The eight division winners and the four best runners-up proceed to the phase of qualification.

There is only one FIFA window that is available before the start of the Qualifiers, which is from March 23-31. The Philippines has already slated to play against China on the 25th (reportedly in China), which theoretically allows the team to possibly face another opponent in that same period.

U-23 National Team. The March 23-31 window also serves as the timetable for the AFC U-23 Qualifiers.The Philippines was drawn into Group G alongside North Korea, Cambodia, and group stage hosts Thailand. Win the group or finish among the top five runners-up ensures a berth to the finals, which will take place in 2016 at Qatar, and concurrently serves as the Olympic Qualifiers.

The Philippines is also initially tabled to participate in the SEA Games slated to take place this coming June in Singapore, although it is up to the powers-that-be in the PSC-POC task force who will "green light" the.participation.

Most of the youngsters are familiar to those who watch the UAAP. Of course, a couple of senior national team standouts fall under this category as well, namely defensive stalwarts Daisuke Sato and Amani Aguinaldo.

AFC Cup.  Ceres-La Salle will be playing first, having to face Maziya Sports and Recreation of the Maldives on February 17. Win this, and the reigning PFF-SMART Club champions will join Group E, composed of Bengaluru (IND), Persipura Jayapura (INA), and either Warriors FC or Tampines Rovers (SIN).

UFL champions Global FC, on the other hand, already earned a group stage berth, and was drawn into Group G, wherein they will face Yadanarbon or Yangon United (MYA), South China (HKG), and Pahang FA (MAS).

Group Stage matches will take place on February 24/25, March 10/11, March 17/18, April 14/15, April 28/29, and May 12/13.

UAAP, NCAA revises schedule due to Papal visit

With the Papal visit coming next week, both the UAAP and NCAA each made the unilateral decision to not have events during the 15th to 19th, and in some cases, in the run-up to it.

Football is one of the events affected by the decision, with eight UAAP and at least six NCAA matches having to be postponed by the presence of Pope Francis.

With the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex as a police and military headquarters starting today, January 10, the City of Manila has declared the facility as off-limits. As a result, the NCAA has moved the remaining second round matches for its juniors and seniors matches at the said complex to January 21 to 23. If there is a need for a playoff, it has been scheduled to take place on the 26th.

The complete details on the revised NCAA football schedule can be read below.

Updated #NCAA90Football Schedule pic.twitter.com/KXQAdkFouk
— Cathy Nazareno (@catnazareno) January 7, 2015

Although the matches are taking place in Quezon City, the UAAP has also opted to shift the dates of its matches.

It has moved the January 15 matchup featuring National University against La Salle, and Ateneo against FEU to January 14, still at FEU-Diliman. ABS-CBN's Al Neri has confirmed that these two matches will be televised, although no specifics have yet been given pertaining to when they will be shown.

As for the matches that had been scheduled on January 18 and 19, they have been moved to January 21 and 22.

The women's matches have been converged as a doubleheader to take place on the 21st at the Moro Lorenzo Field inside Ateneo de Manila. UP will face La Salle at 1pm, followed by Ateneo versus FEU at 3pm.

The men's matches, on the other hand, will be played at FEU-Diliman. The 21st will have UE against NU at 1pm, followed by Adamson against Ateneo at 3pm. The 22nd will have UST and La Salle at 1pm, followed by UP against FEU at 3pm. No details have yet been revealed if these matches will be televised.

Meanwhile, UAAP football action resumes this weekend before the Papal break, with today's matches at the Moro Lorenzo Field. Kicking off the double-header is the women's match between defending champions FEU against their Season 75 finals opponents La Salle at 4pm. The second game sees UP attempt to take solo leadership in men's football against UE at 6pm.

Tomorrow will have its customary simultaneous games at FEU-Diliman and Moro Lorenzo. The latter will have the lone women's matchup between UST and current leaders UP at 1pm, followed by the highly anticipated rivalry between the men's football teams of Ateneo and La Salle at 3pm. The former, on the other hand, will have defending champions FEU against Adamson at 1pm, followed by UST against NU at 3pm.

The complete details on the revised UAAP collegiate schedule can be seen below.

Revised schedule for @UAAP_77 mens and womens football. No play during papal visit. @UAAPSportsTV pls RT! @alsneri pic.twitter.com/ApJQETUkDR
— Bob Guerrero (@PassionateFanPH) January 5, 2015

As for the UAAP second round, it is scheduled to begin on January 24 and will last until February 22. The postseason takes place on March 1 and 8 and will be at Rizal Memorial.

As for the UAAP Juniors Football tournament, January 24 kicks off seven Saturday afternoons of high school football at FEU-Diliman, capped off by the title game on March 7. UST, La Salle-Zobel and Ateneo aim to knock off FEU off their title perch.

Alfafara and Espejo lead MVP charge in UAAP 77 men's volleyball

Games Sunday at The Arena in San Juan:

8 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (men)
10 a.m. – UP vs NU (men)
2 p.m. – UP vs Ateneo (women)
4 p.m. – UE vs La Salle (women)

The last two MVPs in UAAP men's volleyball are leading the way in the chase for this season's top individual award.

Season 75 MVP and UST ace Mark Alfafara is tops in the league in scoring with 106 points (on 95 spikes, eight blocks, and three service aces), while Season 76 ROY-MVP Marck Espejo is in second with 93 points (78 attacks, eight blocks, and seven service aces).

Completing the top five in scoring are freshman Edward Camposano of UE (82 points), Romnick Rico of UST (81 points), and Fauzi Ismail (76 points) of the two-time defending champions NU.

The Bulldogs remain undefeated so far this season, and it is in part due to the efforts of three players leading the league in certain categories.

Ismail is the top spiker so far with a 56.8% rating, while last season's Finals MVP Peter Torres is the top blocker with a 1.11 average per set. Vince Mangulabnan is the top server with a 0.56 average per set.

Completing the cast of outstanding men's volleyball players so far are Adamson's Rence Melgar, who leads the league in digs (3.05 per set) and in receiving (46.89%), while Ateneo Blue Spiker Ish Polvorosa is the top setter (9.11 per set).

Volleyball action will kick off 2015 for the UAAP, with the Ateneo facing UE at 8am, followed by NU against UP at 10am.

*Stats come from TMX Sports, which is the official statistician for UAAP volleyball.

Ara Galang and Alyssa Valdez lead UAAP women's volleyball MVP race

Games Sunday at the Filoil Flying V Arena:

8 a.m. – Ateneo vs UE (men)
10 a.m. – UP vs NU (men)
2 p.m. – UP vs Ateneo (women)
4 p.m. – UE vs DLSU (women)

Former high school teammates Ara Galang and Alyssa Valdez lead the race for the Most Valuable Player in Season 77 of UAAP women's volleyball heading into the holiday break.

Galang is leading the charge for the 5-0 Lady Spikers with 105 points (82 spikes, thirteen blocks, ten service aces) to top the league in scoring. 27 of those points came against Adamson on November 23, which is the highest point total in one game so far.

As for Valdez, the reigning MVP is the league's top spiker with a 45.33% success rating, as well as the best service with a 0.83 per set average. She is a far second behind Galang in the points tally with just 81 points (68 attacks, ten service aces, and three blocks).

Completing the top five in the scoring race are FEU's Bernadette Pons (76), NU's Jaja Santiago (75) and UP's Nicole Tiamzon (72).

To add to her top-five scoring feat, Santiago is second behind Valdez in spiking with a 41.29% clip.

In the blocking category, La Salle's Mika Reyes and Adamson's Mylene Paat each average 1.00 per set to lead the league.

Paat's teammate, Len Cortel, is setting the pace in digs with 3.29, followed by Tin Agno at 2.79 for FEU.

Sophomore standout Jia Morado from Ateneo is leading in setting with 10.67 per set, with last season's best setter Kim Fajardo in second place with 8.24.

Jia's fellow teammates Ella de Jesus and Denden Lazaro are 1-2 in receiving, with a 43.48% and 40% rating, respectively.

The league will resume action on Sunday at The Arena in San Juan, with the Battle of Katipuan at 2pm, followed the matchup of the best and worst teams in the league in La Salle and UE at 4pm.

*TMX Sports is the official statistician for UAAP volleyball.