NU's Honey Grace Cordero. UAAP Media/file
MANILA — National University (NU) aims for a second straight women’s title, while University of Santo Tomas (UST) seeks a seventh consecutive men’s crown as the UAAP Season 88 beach volleyball tournament opens Friday at the Sands SM By The Bay.
The Lady Bulldogs' duo of reigning MVP Honey Grace Cordero and Kat Epa ended the Tiger Sands’ run of six consecutive championships last year, conquering a final that went the distance to achieve a breakthrough for the Jhocson side.
Redemption is on the minds of UST, still the most successful women’s program with nine championships, as Sofiah Pagara and Khy Progella are determined to bring the crown back to España.
On the men’s side, the Tiger Sands, holders of the most titles with nine, aim to extend their reign behind league MVPs Alche Gupiteo and Dominique Gabito, the last two recipients of the award.
NU, bannered by Alex Iraya and last season’s Rookie of the Year Sky Gemarino, remains one of UST’s biggest threats to the throne.
The NU women’s team opens its campaign against last season’s third-place finisher Far Eastern University (FEU) in the morning session at 7 a.m., before facing University of the Philippines (UP) in the afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
In men’s action, UST debuts against FEU, also a podium finisher last year, at 10 a.m., before taking on Adamson University in the afternoon session at 5 p.m.
The Tiger Sands begin their women’s division redemption bid against Adamson at 7:45 a.m., followed by a clash with Ateneo at 4:15 p.m.
The Bulldogs open their men’s campaign against UP at 10:45 a.m., then face De La Salle University at 5:45 p.m.
Other women’s opening day matches feature UP against La Salle at 8:30 a.m., and Ateneo de Manila University against University of the East (UE) at 9:15 a.m.
On the men’s side, Ateneo faces Adamson at 2 p.m., while La Salle takes on UE at 2:45 p.m.
The tournament follows a single-round elimination format, with the top four teams advancing to the Final Four, a one-off affair. Semifinal winners move on to the winner-takes-all gold medal match, while the losing teams battle for bronze.