FROM empty stands to a loud and proud maroon crowd, the journey of the University of the Philippines seniors Niña Ytang, Irah Jaboneta, and Joan Monares was never meant to be easy.
But it was always meant to matter.
They came in together in Season 84 as part of a program still searching for an identity, as back then, Diliman wasn’t exactly a destination.
The Fighting Maroons were a project, a work in progress in a league where contenders were well-established.
“We witnessed seeing the crowd empty,” Monares recalled. “Coming to now, seeing the UP community filling up the arena, parang sasabog yung dibdib ko. Kasi nandoon kami nung binubuo yung UP ngayon.”
And build, they did. Brick by brick, season by season.
From Godfrey Okumu in S84 to Shaq Delos Santos in S85, then from Oliver Almadro in S86 to Benson Bocboc in S87, and now, Fabio Menta in S88, the three seniors lived through five different systems, five different voices, and five different visions of what State U volleyball could be.
“Hindi yun madali,” Monares admitted. “Every year, bagong coach. But I think that’s what made us really strong.”
Jaboneta echoed that growth; not just as players, but as people navigating constant change.
“Sa limang coaches, iba-ibang experiences. Natuto kami kung paano i-work (through) and kung paano i-accept,” she said.
That much showed in how they carried themselves in their final game. UP was never going to be the favorite against longtime power University of Santo Tomas.
Still, they were fighters - Fighting Maroons, to be exact.
“In-enjoy ko lang talaga yung last game, kasi kami yung challenger. Nothing to lose,” Jaboneta shared.
This attitude defines this era of the maroon-and-green in women's volleyball. It was never seen as a legitimate contender, but it can make anybody sense it was never backing down.
“It took a lot of work, hindi lang yun sa nakikita ng fans. We’re trying to change the UP women’s volleyball team into a contender,” Jaboneta uttered.
Nowhere to go but UP
Little by little, UP is making people notice, especially those outside Diliman.
The three seniors may no longer be here when the Fighting Maroons finally break through, but it was them - and those who came before them - who put the program in this position to do so.
Who would've thought that an upstart is coming hard and fast from a program that last won it all in the early '80s and whose most recent playoff berth came when Tots Carlos and Isa Molde were still in college?
Ytang herself didn't think that.
“Dati pangarap ko lang makapag-aral nang libre. Tapos nandito ako sa UP, sobrang grateful ako,” she said.
Gratitude became the common thread in their stories - for the program, for the support, and even for the struggles that shaped them.
“Despite sa lahat ng mapagdaanan, hindi kami darating dito kung wala yun,” Ytang added.
And that’s what makes their exit different. They’re not just leaving behind gaudy stats or even a lot of wins, they’re leaving a culture - one that now has a community behind it, win or lose.
“Kaya naming makipagsabayan,” Monares said. “And I believe the team is in good hands kasi there’s a community behind them every game.”
As they close this chapter in their young careers, the paths ahead have begun to take shape.
READ: With UP silenced anew, Ytang hopes to make noise come PVL Draft
Jaboneta and Ytang are setting their sights on the next level, eyeing a try for the PVL Draft, even as Monares is keeping her options open.
No matter where they land, one thing is certain:
They didn’t just play through five seasons, they helped set up State U for success in the foreseeable future.
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