Ghanna Mae Suan of the USPF Lady Panthers during practice a the USPF gym as coach Yolly Rizarri (in white) looks on from the sidelines. CDN Digital photo | Brian J. Ochoa
CEBU, Philippines—Coach Yolanda “Yolly” Rizarri is confident that the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) Lady Panthers will be ready for the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals slated July 29, 2023, in Manila.
Rizarri and her Lady Panthers, the runners up of the Cebu Schools Athletics Foundation (Cesafi) women’s volleyball tournament, are one of two Cebu representatives in the prestigious National Championships.
The other team are the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) Jaguars, the team that beat the Lady Panthers for the Cesafi crown.
READ: Cebu’s USJ-R, USPF women’s volleyball teams to compete in SSL Invitationals
“Right now, I think we’re ready. Because we never stopped practicing,” Rizarri told CDN Digital in an interview at CDN Sportstalk.
USPF will face some of the best women’s volleyball teams in the tournament. The Lady Panthers are bracketed with UAAP champions La Dalle and NCAA’s University of Perpetual Help System Dalta.
Rizarri said she believes the team has what it takes to be able to compete with the best because her players have been practicing hard.
“From the Cesafi season until now, we never stopped practicing. We sacrificed everything,” she said.
USPF will be led by its team captain and long-tome Lady Panther, Ressel Pedroza, and one of its ace players, Ghanna Mae Suan.
Bolstering the USPF lineup will be Mary Louise Querubin from the University of San Carlos (USC).
“My team has already the best (lineup) but we still need the best. That’s the reason why I got Querubin,” Rizarri said.
‘Great team’
Querubin, who was part of the USC team that won the Cesafi title in 2018 and beach volleyball title in 2020, said she is excited to be part of the USPF team for the Shakey’s tournament.
READ: USC Lady Warriors are Cesafi women’s beach volley champions
“What I can contribute to the team is my enthusiasm and positive energy. Together, I guess we’d make a great team,” said Querubin, who has been out of competitive volleyball in the past two years as she concentrated on law school.
Suan, one of the more promising players on the team, says she is quite nervous going into the tournament. But she believes she will be able to step up when needed.
“I just have to have the right mindset in every game,” she said.
Pedrosa, meanwhile, is confident despite tagging her team as an “underdog” in the tournament.
“We really prepared for this,” she said, sharing that they really practice hard even during weekends.
The Shakey’s National Invitationals will be an excellent pre-season tournament for USPF and USJ-R before the Cesafi kicks off tentatively in September.
/bmjo