What Will Casiey Dongallo and Her California Academy Teammates’ Transfer Mean For UP? 

Casiey Dongallo and her California Academy-Antipolo teammates’ transfer to the UP Lady Maroons is now official.

The University of the Philippines has scored major pieces for its women’s volleyball program with the transfer of star rookie Casiey Dongallo and fellow California Academy-Antipolo (CAL) products Kitzie Madriaga, Jelai Gajero, and Jennalyn Umayam. 

Dongallo and company are coming over from the University of the East Lady Warriors and will undergo a one-year residency before returning for UAAP Season 88. They will have two years of eligibility left because of the UAAP’s updated rules for transferees. 

Joining them is Dr. Obet Vital, their longtime coach at California Academy. Vital was also an assistant in UE last Season 86, but resigned last December due to “differences in vision.” 

“It’s about time na palakasin din natin ang volleyball teams natin because they have great potential to be another source for unity ng UP community. We welcome the entry of Doc Obet and his players ‘di lang para palakasin ang WVT, but to also show that we’re turning serious about competing in volleyball,” said UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development Dir. Bo Perasol.

Team to watch in Season 88?

It goes without saying that Casiey Dongallo is the biggest name in these transfers, having finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in Season 86. The 19-year-old is a potent scorer with high volleyball IQ and holds the UAAP single-season record for most points scored by a rookie with 291 points across 14 games.

Dongallo isn’t too shabby either on defense, finishing 10th in digging (2.02 excellent digs) and seventh in blocking during her impressive freshman year. Standing at around five-foot-six, she was also named into the initial Alas Pilipinas pool for the AVC Challenge Cup before she was sidelined due to a right wrist injury.

Madriaga was the Lady Warriors’ captain in Season 86 and finished sixth among the league’s best playmakers after averaging 2.94 excellent sets per game. Umayam, meanwhile, is a middle blocker who split time with league leader Rizza Nograles. 

For her part, Gajero backstopped Dongallo as a wing spiker in high school. Barring any changes, Season 88 will be her “rookie” year after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sidelined her for Season 86. Gajero, though, returned for preseason tourneys with UE and is expected to continue recovering amid her redshirt year.

The UP coaching staff also gets a big boost with Dr. Vital, who has shown his ability to develop young talents including Dongallo’s group. Given this, it’s unsurprising that Vital was tasked to handle State U’s planned grassroots program while being an assistant to new UP head coach Benson Bocboc.

Simply put, UP has just positioned itself as a team to watch next season, given the depth they gain with these additions. Dongallo and crew are expected to team up with Season 86 Best Middle Blocker Niña Ytang in Season 88, along with the likes of juniors’ MVP Kianne Olango, Season 86 best opposite spiker Yesha Noceja, and middle blocker Bienne Bangsil from Nazareth School-NU. 

On paper, they’re getting a group that adds more depth, especially on offense, and a coach that beefs up a staff with his strengths in talent development. Easier said than done, but it’s now a matter of integrating themselves into the system in the hopes of ending UP’s eight-season Final Four drought.

Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.