THE STANDS: An Inquirer Sports Newsletter

 

March 1, 2024

Heart is the biggest size of all for the UST Tigresses.  (UAAP MEDIA)

Hey there sports fan, There's so much content to devour when it comes to UAAP Season 86's volleyball tournament. But for lean-back stories that capture the essence of sports, the best read around is the stories on University of Santo Tomas' upset  of defending champion La Salle. That win meant the Tigresses have now beaten the last two champions of the tournament and the two teams that battled it out for the trophy last year. UST opened the season with a stunning victory over National U.  There's so much to  unpack with that shock start of the Tigresses. First, they are doing all that after losing a powerful chunk of their first six from last season: Eya Laure, Imee Hernadez and Milena Alessandrini. They're also winning despite being one of the smallest teams in the league. And they're the only unbeaten team in the tournament. The Tigresses are getting the job done with almost everybody contributing. Leadership is not a problem, either, what with a fiesty standout serving as team captain. (Trivia question: Do you know who the Tigresses skipper is? Answer at the end of this email). Everybody thought La Salle and NU would cruise straight to another title showdown. Nobody ever thought to stop counting UST out. There are other good reads if you want, including the playfully headlined Ateneo victory over UP and former coach Oliver Almadro. Also, have you heard about this rising star named Casiey Dongallo? Still looking for her first victory.

Justin Brownlee is soaring high for the PH.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... The other team that did good the past week was Gilas Pilipinas. After rapping Hong Kong and demolishing Chinese Taipei, Gilas Pilipinas can now focus on other stuff as it plans for its next phase of competition. You, on the other hand, can focus on some of the best stories that came out of the qualifying windows. Simply follow the instructions below to read about: June Mar Fajardo's "jealousy," CJ Perez's ups and downs, Jamie Malonzo's newfound level,  or even Scottie Thompson's family life. And there's also Justin Brownlee, who talks about growing old. Even our OFWs make a cameo. Subscribe now!     What we're up to next: We will release the nominees for the Inquirer Sports Awards over the weekend! Then on Monday, we will host a testimonial dinner for one of our awardees. Keep tabs on that. We will also continue our in-depth volleyball coverages in the UAAP and the Premier Volleyball League. The PBA Philippine Cup has already started so we're on the ground for that, too. Number of the Week: 3-0 UST's current record in the UAAP, where it is a surprise leader.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “We really want to prove this season that it's not all about height to win volleyall games.” —Bernadett Pepito, on UST finding ways to win despite its size handicap.

The answer to our trivia question? Bernadett Pepito. 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).

THE STANDS: An INQUIRER Sports Newsletter

 

February 23, 2024

Tim Cone begins his tour of duty as full-time head coach of Gilas Pilipinas.  (DENISON REY A. DALUPANG)

Hey there sports fan, Did you know there's an age imit imposed on boxers who want to compete in the Olympics? Do you know what it is? Clue: It's the reason Manny Pacquiao was denied a special exemption to suit up for the country in the Paris Games   Make a guess. We'll give the answer later (If you're curious, yes, Pacquiao has accepted that his Olympic dream is over). Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas began its Tim Cone era on the right foot, pounding out a 94-64 victory over host Hong Kong in a Fiba Asia Cup qualifying window. The win was pretty much guaranteed.  Even Cone said so: “[Hong Kong is] a team that we should handle. If we don’t, then we probably shouldn’t be here. It’s going to be a terrible shock for all of us if we don’t. The bottom line is that this isn’t the level of teams that we’ll be playing all the time.” We have a guy on the ground in Hong Kong, Mr. Denison Rey A. Dalupang, and if you want to catch up on his relentless reporting of the national squad there, all you need is this link. The Filipinos play Chinese Taipei next to cap this window and all you ever need to know about how to watch that game, from tickets to streaming, you can find here.

The Tigresses opened their UAAP campaign with a scintillating upset.  (CONTRIBUTED)

Meanwhile... It's probably starting to get on the nerves of National University's women's sports program: The last time the Lady Bulldogs watched a University of Santo Tomas squad celebrate on the court was when the Tigresses pulled of a title shocker to end NU's dynastic reign of UAAP women's hoops. Well, the Tigresses were celebrating another NU-upset again, this time dealing the Lady Bulldogs a shock opening defeat in volleyball a weekend ago. And as if to prove they are no fluke, the relatively small Tigresses strung up a second straight victory, this time against Casiey Dongallo and the University of the East Lady Warriors   The Tigers, meanwhile, shocked men's volleyball powerhouse and defending champion NU, in their opening match.   The Premier Volleyball League lifted the curtains on its new season with the All-Filipino Conference. Teams trotted out their fresh acquisitions in one of the busiest offseasons the league has ever seen. While it's still too early to determine a trend, here's something that might pique your interest and also help you understand what's happening on the court when teams call out plays. What we're up to next: We will release the nominees for the Inquirer Sports Awards next week! Keep tabs on that. We will also continue running features from Gilas Pilipinas' Hong Kong victory and provide you a little roadmap of Tim Cone's vision. There is also the national team's game against Chinese Taipei coming up. We will also continue our in-depth coverages of the PVL and the UAAP so follow us across all our platforms. Number of the Week: 3 Margin of victory during the "Battle of the Sexes" three-point shootout during the NBA ALl-Star weekend. Steph Curry beat Sabrina Ionescu, 29-26, but needed to make his last four shots to do so.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “A night like tonight shows a lot of young girls and young boys that if you can shoot, you can shoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re a girl or a boy.” —Sabrina Ionescu, after challenging, and nearly beating, Steph Curry in a three-point shootout contest during the NBA All-Stars.

The answer to our trivia question? 40. 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).