UAAP Season 87 Finals MVP Leo Aringo is heading to Japan after signing with V.League club Saitama Azalea for the 2025–26 season.
Fresh off cementing his legacy in the UAAP, Finals MVP and former NU Bulldog captain Leo Aringo is set to take the next big step in his volleyball career.
The 6-foot-3 outside spiker from Davao City has signed with Japanese club Saitama Azalea for the 2025–26 V.League season, marking his official jump to the professional ranks overseas.
Aringo's announcement comes exactly a month after helping the Bulldogs complete a historic five-peat, the first in the UAAP men's volleyball Final Four era, with a title-clinching performance in Game 3 of the Season 87 Finals.
It was Aringo who delivered the match-winning hit, a powerful swipe that found the floor and sealed NU’s victory over FEU, 25-21, 22-25, 25-15, 18-25, 15-11, in the deciding match.
The graduating spiker finished with nine points, 10 excellent receptions, and four digs in the final. He also contributed seven points in Game 1 and notched 10 markers and 17 receptions in Game 2, showing consistency throughout the series.
With his signing, Aringo becomes the latest in a growing list of Filipino volleyball standouts heading to Japan, adding depth and talent to a Saitama squad looking to climb the V.League ranks.
Saitma finished second in the V.League regular season with a 21-7 record, before ultimately settling for a fourth place finish.