BY Gwen Bergado
KIANNE Olango may be donning different colors now in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament, but one thing’s for sure, her prowess stays the same.
From Jhocson to Diliman, the former juniors champion and MVP-turned-University of the Philippines present and future keeps proving she belongs.
“Yung drive lang po talaga na gustong manalo. Gusto ko po talagang umangat ang UP,” the Fighting Maroons newcomer expressed after yet again top-scoring with 18 points in their loss to University of Santo Tomas.
READ: Streaking UST takes fight out of UP in four sets
The former NU-Nazareth School standout has become a stable source of contributions for the maroon-and-green, as she currently logs 12.2 points per game in their 2-3 start to the season.
While State U struggles, its new opposite hitter is nonetheless a bright ray of light from now until the foreseeable future, when she is set to be joined by talented transferees in Casiey Dongallo, Kizzie Madriaga, and Jelai Gajero.
Safe to say, if and when they do succeed in their quest for a return to relevance, Olango is a key piece to the puzzle.
On the UP and UP
The now is what's taking place, however, and as the Diliman-based team just absorbed their third loss in a row following back-to-back wins, the rookie and her teammates have their work cut out for them to get back into the playoff picture.
“Yung mindset and hunger po talaga, tuwing pupunta kaming venue, tuwing magge-game kami," she answered when asked about what wasn't working during their recent slide.
“Pero alam ko yung kakayahan ng team namin.”
UP's opposite is in good hands with a 5-foot-8 hitter well-versed at winning. Lady luck then smiled upon them even more with a troika of transferees already champing at the bit to make each and every position as stacked as it has ever been.
Right now, though, it's up to Olango and Co. to give destiny much reason to be excited about meeting all of them.
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