//Spotlight

Double Duty: Volleyball Coaches Taking On Both Collegiate and Professional Squads 

You’ll likely recognize these volleyball coaches in the country’s collegiate and professional leagues throughout volleyball season. 

Volleyball season only continues to heat up at this point of the year. UAAP Season 86 is nearing the Final Four, while the PVL and Spikers’ Turf continue their regular season action. Meanwhile, NCAA Season 99’s indoor volleyball tournament is also expected to join the pack in a few days’ time. 

A constant presence here are the coaches. Especially in the UAAP and PVL, we’ve seen some of these mentors handle squads in both leagues. So when they’re not coaching the volleybelles of tomorrow, they’ll be in the trenches with the stars in the pro ranks.

With this, here’s a list of today’s volleyball coaches on double duty — whether it’s the UAAP and PVL, the NCAA and PVL, UAAP and Spikers’ Turf, or better yet, all of these leagues. 

Kung Fu Reyes
One of the volleyball coaches on double duty Kung Fu Reyes
Kung Fu Reyes has been a steady mentor for the young Golden Tigresses, and star-studded Chery Tiggo. (Photo Credit: UAAP Season 86 Media Team)

Starting off this volleyball coaches’ list is longtime UST Golden Tigresses mentor Kung Fu Reyes. Apart from the Tigresses, Reyes also handles the Chery Tiggo Crossovers in the 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference. 

Reyes is currently overseeing the post-Eya Laure Tigresses in the UAAP, which have more than impressed so far. In the PVL, he mentors a Chery Tiggo team which includes a mix of his former Tigresses, and other household names in the volleyball scene. 

While championships are yet to come, Reyes led UST to a Finals appearance during Sisi Rondina’s final year and Eya Laure’s rookie year in UAAP Season 81. In recent years, he’s also turned the Golden Tigresses into regular contenders.

And 2024 might just be his best so far. His post-Eya Laure Tigresses have more than exceeded expectations, while his PVL head coaching debut has included ending Creamline’s 19-game win streak in straight sets. 

On a well-covered occasion, we can also remember his back-to-back PVL and UAAP wins. After breaking Creamline’s streak, Reyes made it just in time to lead UST in their first-round sweep against Adamson. 

Jerry Yee
One of the volleyball coaches on double duty Jerry Yee.
Jerry Yee coaches three teams in three different leagues. (Photo Credit: PVL on Facebook)

As of this writing, Jerry Yee is concurrent head coach of the UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP, the CSB Lady Blazers in the NCAA, and the Farm Fresh Foxies in the PVL–a rare setup amongst other volleyball coaches here.

Barring any changes, fans can witness Yee on the sidelines of the Lady Blazers and Foxies during their respective game days. 

However, Yee is currently serving a three-month suspension in the UAAP for engaging “in acts inconsistent with league objectives.” In particular, Yee failed to “foster camaraderie and fair play among member schools”. 

As a UAAP coach though, Yee joined UE after a Final Four finish with Adamson in UAAP Season 85, a 10-4 slate good for third place. This also ended the Lady Falcons’ nine-year drought. 

Yee’s best is seen in the NCAA, where he mentored the CSB Lady Blazers to two straight titles in NCAA Seasons 97 and 98. If all goes well, he could steer them to a three-peat in NCAA Season 99, which could just compensate for his currently-suspended UAAP tenure. 

Roger Gorayeb 
One of the volleyball coaches on double duty Roger Gorayeb
Roger Gorayeb seeks to steer a new franchise in the PVL, while returning his longtime NCAA home to the Final Four. (Photo Credit: PVL on Facebook)

For 2024, the legendary Roger Gorayeb makes his PVL return as Capital1 Solar Spikers coach. Gorayeb is set to mentor the team that fills the gap left by the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers. 

Alongside his Solar Spikers gig, expect Gorayeb to steer the San Sebastian Lady Stags back to the Final Four once NCAA Season 99 volleyball opens. 

While he may not be leading stacked teams anytime soon, Roger Gorayeb is a proven winner. In his original San Sebastian, Gorayeb led the Lady Stags to some 22 women’s volleyball championships, 11 in the juniors’ division, and six more in beach volleyball. 

Besides San Sebastian, Gorayeb also coached the Ateneo Blue Eagles from 2008 to 2013, and the NU Lady Bulldogs from 2015 to 2017. He also had a short national team gig in 2014. 

Dante Alinsunurin
One of the volleyball coaches on double duty Dante Alinsunurin.
Dante Alinsunurin is a winner wherever he goes. (Photo Credit: UAAP Season 86 Media Team)

Dante Alinsunurin coaches the NU Bulldogs in UAAP Men’s Volleyball, and the Choco Mucho Flying Titans in the PVL. Two top teams in their respective leagues. 

Alinsunurin is expected to lead the Bulldogs to their fourth straight UAAP title come the Final Four. Meanwhile, he and the Flying Titans should be looking at a bounce-back season after falling short of the title in last season’s Second All-Filipino Conference. 

In particular, Alinsunurin has steered the NU Bulldogs to their current dominance. Under his tutelage, the Bulldogs have won three straight UAAP titles from Seasons 81 to 85, excluding the pandemic-affected seasons. 

Alinsunurin is expected to lead the Bulldogs to their fourth straight UAAP title come the Final Four. Meanwhile, he and the Flying Titans should be looking at a bounce-back season after falling short of the title in last season’s Second All-Filipino Conference–which capped off his first year in the PVL. 

On a national level, Alinsunurin was most recently named an assistant coach for the men’s national team ahead of the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship in 2025. Previously, he also coached the nationals to a silver medal finish in the 2019 SEA Games.

George Pascua 
After quite some time in the women’s game, George Pascua has returned to men’s volleyball. (Photo Credit: UAAP Season 86 Media Team)

Former FEU mentor George Pascua has returned to men’s volleyball. Currently, Pascua is in his second season with the Adamson Soaring Falcons in the UAAP, while mentoring the PCJG-Navy in Spikers’ Turf.

And Pascua is no stranger to men’s volleyball. In the early 2000s, he steered his FEU Tamaraws to a three-peat in men’s volleyball, from UAAP Seasons 67 to 69, and a final title in 2012. 

Outside men’s volleyball, Pascua is also a three-time champion in the now-defunct Philippine SuperLiga (PSL), leading the Petron Blaze Spikers to win the 2014 Grand Prix, and 2015 All-Filipino titles. Two years later, he won the 2017 Invitational Championship with the Cignal HD Spikers.

BONUS: Shaq Delos Santos and Lerma Giron 
Shaq Delos Santos, one of UST’s star assistants, is also a chief mentor in the PVL. (Photo Credit: PVL on Facebook)

Technically, Shaq Delos Santos and Lerma Giron are among Kung Fu Reyes’ all-star staff in the Growling Tigresses. Based on reports, Delos Santos is one of three assistants in charge of developing the Tigresses’ middle blockers, while Giron oversees their floor development. 

However, both are also head coaches in the PVL. Delos Santos leads the Cignal HD Spikers in the pro league, while Giron is the first-ever coach of the Galleries HighTower Risers, which only entered the PVL in 2023.

In terms of accolades, Giron is a fairly new name in the scene. As for Delos Santos, he’s a former national team head coach and is still the last mentor to win a UAAP championship for the Golden Tigresses. 

Banner Image courtesy of the UAAP Season 86 Media Team.


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