The Stands - An Inquirer Sports Newsletter

 

March 22, 2024

The Tigresses remain on top of the UAAP standings.  (MARLO CUETO)

Hey there sports fan, University of Santo Tomas needed a tense fifth set to dispose of Ateneo and keep its record unblemished in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.  The Tigresses racked up an eighth straight win, just a few days after wrapping up its first-round schedule with a similarly challenging victory over Adamson. UST will be the first to admit that there are a lot of things that still needs polishing with their game and those tough wins against the Lady Falcons and the Blue Eagles were proof of that.  And if the Tigresses need motivation to sharpen their game, they don't need to look far: The two teams they beat in the first round, National U and La Salle, are both eager for payback.  But hey, let's talk about the Tigresses kicks too. For some time now, the team has been rocking Kobe 8s (ProTro Halo), which were customized by artist Chachi Victorino.  Photos of the custom sneakers had gone viral, with players even talking about "Mamba Mentality," the winning philosophy espoused by the late basketball great Kobe Bryant. In fact, news of Bianca Plaza's pair allegedly getting picked off by a delivery rider also made rounds on the Internet, proof that the sneakers have become quite the talk of the volleyball world. In an interview with the Inquirer, Ms. Victorino spoke about the process and challenges of customizing the Tigresses sneakers.

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Chery TIggo is all smiles after pulling off a major upset.  (PVL IMAGES)

Meanwhile... Before we talk of the upset that rocked the PVL, allow us to express our excitement over the country winning the bid to host the 2025 men's volleyball world championship.  Ateneo coach Sergio Veloso, who also handles the men's national volleyball team, is optimistic the event will do a lot of good for the sport in the country.  Anyway, unless you were living under a rock the past few days, you know that Chery Tiggo just pulled off the biggest upset in pro volleyball this year. The Crossovers dealt the Creamline Cool Smashers their first loss after 19 straight victories. For Alyssa Valdez, that upset made Creamline realize one thing: "It's really about time for us to feel [the pain of losing] again so there will be renewed energy and strength." Creamline has since bounced back from the loss, routing league newcomer Capital1.  WIll that rare loss push the Cool Smashers to even greater heights in their title defense? Let's tune in to the games and find out. Or, let us bring you the stories straight to whatever platform you are on.  What we're up to next: The PBA All-Star weekend will be held in Bacolod City and we will have two guys on the ground to bring you the highlifghts from there. We'll also dig in more on the country's hosting of the men's volleyball world championship slated next year. And we'll still keep you updated with everything going on in the UAAP and the PVL. Number of the Week: 9 Number of Olympic gold medals the US basketball team has won so far.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “[T]his is for the Philippines, the country [for which] my heart will always beat proud.” —Maxine Esteban, Filipino-Ivorian fencer, who became the first homegrown female Filipino fencer to qualify for the Olympics.

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There are two items on this newsletter that are answers to our sports trivia quiz that comes out weekly. If you think you can ace our weekly Friday sports quiz, and if you want more sports updates, join our Viber community.  Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. See you next Friday! Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).