A BREWING RIVALRY?: Coaching swap between USJ-R and USC adds color to this year’s Cesafi women’s volleyball finals

THE IRONY. Grace Antigua (left photo) will be coaching the USC women’s team against her former team, USJ-R, in the Cesafi finals. The Lady Jaguars will be mentored by Norvie Labuga (right photo), the former coach of USC.
CDN PHOTOS/LITO TECSON

For the coaches of the University of San Carlos (USC) and the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), the 2018 Cesafi women’s volleyball finals is just like any other championship game.

Both teams want to end a long title drought in Cebu’s premier collegiate volleyball league.

But for those who are aware of the coaching swap during the offseason, this championship matchup could be more than just that.

It could start a new rivalry between both teams.

Here’s where the plot thickens in this matchup: Coach Grace Antigua of USC used to be the mentor of the USJ-R team she is facing in the finals. USJ-R’s Norvie Labuga, on the other hand, was the coach of the same USC team Antigua is now coaching.

So does this mean there’s extra motivation from each team in the finals?

That’s what many would want to believe, especially since Antigua has led USJ-R to numerous titles in her 22 years with the Jaguars, and Labuga did the same in his stint with USC from 2006.

But both dismissed the “rivalry” brought about by the coaching swap, even if some still find it interesting to see who among both coaches can get back against their former teams.

“We’re treating this like any other game,” said Antigua while watching her team do basic drills at the USC gym in preparation for Game 1 of the best-of-three finals, which starts on Sunday at the USPF gym. “As much as possible, I don’t want to add pressure to myself and especially to my players, because it might affect their game.”

Antigua parted ways with USJ-R after leading the team to a runner-up finish in the 2017 season. Early this year, she accepted the coaching offer from USC, saying “God put me here.”

“I’m with USC now and my job is to give them the same effort I gave USJ-R,” Antigua said.

USC last won the women’s title in 2012, and it was Labuga who was at the helm during that championship run. Last year, though, the team finished just fourth place.

Just like Antigua, Labuga isn’t adding any color to the already interesting matchup with USC but is instead focused on getting the team back to the top. The last time USJ-R won a title was in 2008, the tail-end of a three-peat with the Lady Jaguars being led by Michelle Simbajon and Gene Sabas and coached by Antigua.

“I’m not thinking of that. I think my players are aware of [the situation] but they don’t mind it. They just want to win the crown,” Labuga said. “There’s really no added pressure.”

This year, the Lady Jaguars were among the favorites to win the crown and it showed when it cruised its way to the finals.

Along the way, USJ-R even beat USC in straight sets in the elimination round. But Labuga doesn’t want to be too comfortable about that result, especially with the way USC has been playing lately.

“I can’t say that we are the favored team in the finals. Because it will really depend on the players, their conditioning, their mindset,” Labuga said.

Antigua, too, believes the finals won’t be a battle between coaches.

“As coaches, all we can do is guide them. It’s really up to [the players] because they are the ones on the court,” said the legendary coach. “But I can see the determination in my players.”