WHILE University of the East’s men’s basketball team looks to be on the up and up, its women’s volleyball program is reportedly headed south.
READ: Gavina vows to restore UE's lost luster to make sure Red Warriors remain in Recto
A ‘mass exodus’ of players and coaches has reportedly unraveled in the Lady Red Warriors’ camp, which SPIN.ph caught wind of on Wednesday evening.
But instead of the players opting to move elsewhere, it was management that released all but four players from its UAAP Season 87 roster.
Interim head coach Allan Mendoza and the rest of the red-and-white coaching staff also weren’t spared from the chopping block.
Former UE head coach Obet Vital, who once had Mendoza on his Season 86 coaching staff, bared a detailed account of the alleged exodus.
And as per a subsequent report from The Dawn, the university’s official student publication, a near-total wipeout of the Lady Warriors came in the aftermath of a team tryout held on Monday.
It has reportedly left players, most of whom are set to graduate in the incoming academic year, in a dire straits as far as their volleyball careers and college education are concerned.
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“All but four players from Season 87 have been removed from the program. These are the very same athletes who stayed loyal through years of instability, lack of support, and constant challenges,” Vital said.
“Players who gave their heart and soul to the team for up to four years, now find themselves without a team, without a voice—and worst of all, without their scholarships.
“These student-athletes didn’t just lose their spots on the roster. They lost their chance to continue their education. Most of them are set to graduate this year or the next, but now their future is uncertain. The reason? They stood up for their rights and dignity as student-athletes. And for that, they were axed.
“Let’s be clear: this wasn’t their choice. They didn’t walk away from UE—they were removed.”
Where are ‘resilience, honor and unity?’
The former UE mentor also added that the four unnamed holdovers were disallowed from speaking out on the matter to avoid suffering the same fate of the rest of their terminated ex-teammates.
As such, Vital raised a public plea to get the Lady Red Warriors all the help they’ll need to get past an unexpected ordeal.
“What about the four players who were retained? They can’t speak out. They risk losing everything too if they stand up for their teammates and friends. So now, they need help to speak for them—those who care about fairness, dignity, and true school spirit,” Vital said.
“If it were just one player each year leaving, maybe you’d think the problem was with the player. But when it’s nearly an entire team, you have to ask—where is the real problem coming from?
“The UE community prides itself on resilience, honor, and unity. It’s time to live up to those values and support these young women who gave everything for the red and white. They carried the name of the university with pride. Now, they need help.”
UE suffered its first winless campaign in a decade with an 0-14 record in Season 87, a supposed rebuilding year coming off a seismic shift that saw the likes of Casiey Dongallo move to the University of the Philippines.
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