‘Student’ Diego faces ‘master mentor’ de Jesus in UAAP 88 women’s volleyball finals

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DLSU’S RAMIL DE JESUS — UAAP

NU’S REGINE DIEGO — UAAP

THE UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball finals will be a duel more than just among the country’s top collegiate stars.

Looming as an equally interesting battle is from the sidelines as the “student” in National University’s (NU) Regine Diego faces her former “master mentor” in De La Salle University’s (DLSU) Ramil de Jesus when both squads lock horns for another page in their modern rivalry on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Ms. Diego played for Mr. de Jesus in La Salle back in the 2000s and got her first pro coaching gig for F2 Logistics under Mr. de Jesus in 2023 before being named as the head coach of the NU Lady Bulldogs this season.

It’s the fourth title showdown between the Lady Bulldogs and the DLSU Lady Spikers in the past five UAAP seasons but only the first between the master and his student.

And oddly as it may, it will be Ms. Diego who has a bigger stake to defend as the Lady Bulldogs march into the battlefield with a rare three-peat feat in mind.

“Hopefully, I get to play at par with him,” said Ms. Diego ahead of the titanic duel at 6 p.m. after surviving the stepladder Final Four with a 20-25, 26-24, 26-24, 25-21 win over University of Santo Tomas last weekend.

“I hope I get there (at his level). He’s always going to be one of my inspirations. I’m grateful to be one of his players before so I know it’s going to be very hard.”

Ms. Diego, also a former head coach of NU Lady Bullpups and the Philippine girls’ volleyball team, replaced Sherwin Meneses in the offseason for a continuous coaching rigodon in NU.

She’s the fourth mentor in NU’s stable that nonetheless made the finals in five straight seasons after also parading Karl Dimaculangan and Norman Miguel, who produced championships as well.

On the opposite end is a common denominator in Mr. de Jesus, who managed to steal one from the Lady Bulldogs’ dynasty led by Bella Belen in Season 85 with then Rookie-MVP Angel Canino spearheading the way.

It was all NU from there, winning back-to-back titles before the vengeful and intact La Salle led by Ms. Canino and Shevana Laput swept through the entire opposition this season, 14-0, to score an outright finals berth for the first time since 2014.

It’s the 21^st finals appearance for Mr. de Jesus and La Salle in almost 30 years of dominance, chasing a 13^th title as holder of the country’s winningest collegiate volleyball program before NU’s emergence in the last five years.

NU has built a dynasty in that span but for Ms. Diego, protecting that queendom against a dynasty himself in Mr. de Jesus is the ultimate goal, regardless of a heavy underdog tag without Ms. Belen and company already. — John Bryan Ulanday