By Pigeon Lobien
BAGUIO CITY, Philippines — With Jasmynne Polon finishing her degree at the Baguio College of Technology last summer, two former powerhouses are eyeing a return atop the Baguio-Benguet Educational Athletic Association women’s volleyball podium.
University of Baguio and the University of the Cordilleras are dead set to make a return atop the podium of one of the two most sought for crowns in the BBEAL which is set to open either in September or October with the Baguio Central University as host.
“It appears that they have intensified their training,” quipped BCT coach Jun Nisperos as he weighs on how to offset the absence of the hard-hitting Sablan, Benguet product. “She is a big loss and the other schools have seen a chance to end our reign,” he added in the vernacular.
UB appears to be banking on a former Arellano University player who helped the school in its National College Athletic Association campaigns the past two years. “She is now eligible to play after a one-year residency,” said Nisperos as he now banks on his veterans – setter Abigail Cunanan, middle Shery Estal and outside hitter Hazel Macapinlac.
Cunanan, who has taken over the captain position from Polon, is at her best after three years with the school. Nisperos also lost multi-tasker Shanel Toledo, who played her last game last May and who was part of Team Tuba which lost to Sablan in the finals of the Cong. Eric Go Yap Women’s Volleyball League “She wanted to graduate but I asked her to stay to give BCT another fighting chance,” said the BBEAL most bemedaled active coach.
With Estal and Macapinlac backing the setter, Nisperos is confident that the Lady Atoms could win their fourth straight title, the fourth longest streak in the BBEAL after Saint Louis University’s eight straight and UC’s six straight during the early until the late 2000s.
Nisperos has won a total of nine titles, six with UB where he played as setter during his college days of which four are with the women’s team and two more for the mean’s squad where current UB coach Jomar Guansing, the men’s defending champion, was his player.
Polon, Estal and Cunanan played for Sablan in the inaugural women’s V-league where they emerged champion with Polon winning most valuable player during the regular season and finals and where Estal and Cunanan took the middle and setter awards.
