The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA men’s volleyball team is slowly finding its groove in NCAA Season 101 after notching its third straight win last Saturday, outlasting Emilio Aguinaldo College in a five-setter.
After a slow start that saw the Altas fall into a 0–2 hole, they are now at 3–2 and currently third in Group A standings behind De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde and Mapua University, which have the same number of wins and losses, but have higher sets and points ratios.
Adding to the challenge, second-year Perpetual head coach Macky Cariño has 12 rookies in his 16-man lineup—a gamble he decided to take as he fully assumed control of the squad.
“Isa rin ‘yun sa naging reason kung bakit nag-struggle kami at the beginning, pero hindi naman ‘yun ang magiging excuse namin for that,” Cariño told GMA News Online.
“Instead, talagang ginawa namin, ginapang talaga namin, pinagtrabahuhan talaga namin.”
(That’s one of the reasons why we struggled at the beginning but we’re not going to make that an excuse… Instead, what we did, we really worked hard for it.)
It took the whole team, including him, to find the right combinations for his squad.
“So far, alam ko na kung ano ‘yung strength ng team ko eh. And then, 'yung mga players ko rin naman, talagang nagre-respond, which is good. Nakuha ko na rin naman ‘yung tamang ikot ng tao, tamang flow ng tao ko, and then, nakatamang kombinasyon ng tao ko. That’s why 'yung three succeeding games na napanalo namin, medyo nagiging okay-okay na kami.”
(So far, I already know what this team’s strength is. And then, with my players, they really respond, which is good. I’ve figured out the right rotation of players, the right flow of players, the right combinations. That’s why we were able to win the three succeeding games, where becoming okay.)
Perpetual had it rough last year.
The Altas entered 2025 mourning the passing of veteran coach Sammy Acaylar, leaving the team with just weeks to prepare for the season.
Former Most Valuable Player Louie Ramirez also ended his playing years, leaving the Las Piñas-based squad with former Finals MVP Jeff Marapoc and Kobe Tabuga leading the way. Still, they fell short of a Final Four berth.
In the rebuild following Season 100, Cariño assembled a new team bannered by standouts from the Palarong Pambansa and various provinces across the country.
The Perpetual head coach added that Marapoc dealt with personal problems, while Tabuga focused on his studies, prompting him to take a risk with younger players.
“‘Yun yung sinabi ko rin sa team ko eh. Kaya medyo mas okay ako doon dahil sa mga bago rin ‘yung mga players kasi akin na, 100% akin na,” he said.
“I’m not saying na hindi naman maganda 'yung naabutan ko. Malakas pa rin ‘yun eh. It so happened talagang mahirap eh pag nagsimula ka nang malungkot. At saka, [parang] tatay namin ‘yung namatay. Sobrang lahat kami, kahit inisip namin na huwag isipin, babalik at babalik, magfa-flashback eh. So, mabigat din.”
“Pero, ‘yun nga, medyo kahit papaano, kung anuman ‘yung nangyari sa amin last year, medyo ngayon tinatama na namin. Mas tama.”
(That’s what I told my team. It made me more okay with it because the new players will be 100% my players now. I’m not saying the team I had wasn’t good. It was strong. It so happened it’s tough to get started when you’re sad. We lost someone who was like our father. All of us, even if we tried not to think about it, it keeps coming back, flashbacks. So it was heavy. But there, somehow, whatever happned last year, we’re fixing it. It feels more correct.)
Cariño also believes the current lineup is the right fit moving forward for the Las Piñas crew.
“Kasi 'yung nakuha kong players is from Palarong Pambansa. So, kaya ko sinabing sinugal ko, kasi nag-i-invest na ako for my future. Kung ano’t-ano man yung mangyayari dito, magbe-benefit 'yung team ko. Hindi dahil bata, kundi ‘yung experience na magiging namin para doon sa mga susunod na taon o bago matapos yung season, maganda na ‘yung laro.”
(The players I got were from Palarong Pambansa. So that’s why I say I took a chance, because I invested for my future. Whatever happens here, the team will benefit. Not because they’re young, but the experience we build for the next few year or even before the season ends, our play will get better.)
Perpetual will face Colegio de San Juan de Letran next on Tuesday.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
