Head coach Vince Mangulabnan faces his alma mater as the Ateneo Blue Eagles eye back-to-back wins to start UAAP Season 87, taking on the four-time champion NU Bulldogs.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles aim for a 2-0 start, but standing in their way are the reigning four-peat champions NU Bulldogs.
Both winners of their Season 87 openers will face off in the curtain raiser of the UAAP men’s volleyball tournament, Wednesday, February 19 at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, San Juan.
Coming off a four-set triumph against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, the Blue Eagles will face an early test in their campaign against the team their new head coach Vince Mangulabnan is very familiar with.
Mangulabnan played for NU back in the mid 2010’s, winning two titles with the squad while being named as a two-time Best Setter and Season 74’s Rookie of the Year.
Now, the 30-year-old is facing his alma mater, not as a player but as a head coach, in his quest to help the Katipunan-based squad reach the Final Four four the first time since 2019.
“Marami pa kami kailangan ayusin, lalo na sa upcoming game namin against NU. Yung win na ito [over Adamson], ginusto talaga nila [Ateneo players] ito,” Mangulabnan said in the post-game press conference.
Ateneo will rely anew on the hard-hitting Ken Batas, who unloaded a team-high 24 points against the Soaring Falcons to earn the Player of the Game honors.
The trio of Amil Pacinio, Jian Salarzon and Jettlee Gopio, who also contributed double-digit scoring performances over Adamson, is also expected to provide the support to Batas.
Game time is at 9:00 a.m.
(With reports from Pao Ambat)
—
[Editor's note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]