HEAD COACH: Fabio Menta
LAST SEASON: 6-8 (6th)
LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: Season 78 (2015-16)
LAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Season 45 (1982-83)
CHAMPIONSHIPS: 8
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A LONG-AWAITED turning point may finally be within reach for the University of the Philippines, as UAAP Season 88 looms.
For years, the Fighting Maroons have been searching for a return to relevance in women’s volleyball.
It was a far cry from the era when Isa Molde, Tots Carlos, and Kathy Bersola once carried the maroon-and-green banner deep into contention.
Since then, sustained success has been a tough nut to crack.
Nearly a decade has passed since State U last reached the Final Four, with only brief spurts of promise interrupting a stretch defined mostly by rebuilding.
That could be about to change.
While familiar pillars such as three-time best middle blocker Niña Ytang, Joan Monares, and Irah Jaboneta remain in place, the program has finally made the kind of moves that signal genuine ambition rather than quiet patience.
Take a Menta-l note
Fresh talent has never been an issue for UP, and it won’t be this season either.
Former NU-Nazareth School standouts Kianne Olango, Bienne Bansil, and Yesha Noceja continue to be part of the program’s long-term plans.
But what truly alters the program's trajectory is the arrival of a ready-made core that knows how to compete together.
The former California Academy (CAL) core of Casiey Dongallo, Jelai Gajero, Kizzie Madriaga, and Jenalyn Umayam brings not only talent, but also shared experience.
Their move to Diliman, controversial as it once was, is now firmly in the past.
After serving residency requirements last year, they enter Season 88 with something to prove in a new environment - and the same goes for first-year foreign student-athlete Ali Sarah Otukugu.
Overseeing this blending of veteran and fresh talent is Italian tactician Fabio Menta, whose appointment as head coach represents the Fighting Maroons' most assertive step yet.
Known locally through international stints and consultancy work, Menta now takes on his most demanding role in building a competitive identity in the UAAP.
Early preseason outings offered a glimpse of his system, but this grind is a different test altogether, one that will measure both depth and discipline.
State U's pieces to the puzzle
UP may not enter Season 88 as an outright title contender, but it no longer feels like its stuck in neutral either.
Instead, the Fighting Maroons are putting their hands all together, plotting to crash the party the likes of National U, La Salle, and University of Santo Tomas have long been enjoying.
After years of near-misses and false starts, the pieces for a revival are finally in place.
Whether that translates into a long-overdue Final Four return will depend on how quickly this revamped group comes together and whether belief can finally match ambition in Diliman.
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Read up on what to expect from the other teams in UAAP Season 88 here:
UE UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Is there anything to look forward to for Lady Warriors?
ATENEO UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Blue Eagles remain upbeat for return to relevance
ADAMSON UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Lady Falcons trust process of building around Shaina
FEU UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Lady Tams got grand plans of going 30 for 30
UST UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Tigresses all-in in Shaq-ing the system
LA SALLE UAAP 88 PREVIEW: All set or not, here come Angel-Shev-Amie anew for Lady Spikers
NU UAAP 88 PREVIEW: Who said Lady Bulldogs golden age is over?
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