News
Irah Jaboneta rewards Guidetti’s draft gamble
POLOMOLOK, South Cotabato – Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti believes the Chameleons made the right choice in selecting Irah Jaboneta in the 2026 Premier Volleyball League Rookie Draft.
Holding the fifth overall pick, Nxled chose the versatile former University of the Philippines standout after she spent a week training with the team before the draft.
Jaboneta quickly justified that decision, playing a key role in the Chameleons’ bounce-back after their opening-game loss to Creamline. She helped Nxled secure consecutive victories over Capital1 and Galeries Tower.
The 26-year-old converted libero recorded nine excellent digs in Nxled’s 25-17, 25-23, 25-18 victory over the Solar Spikers in Vigan. She followed that up with 12 excellent receptions and six excellent digs in a 25-23, 25-23, 25-20 sweep of the Highrisers on Thursday at the Polomolok Gymnasium here.
“Well, I have to say that she’s confirming all my expectations about my first pick in the draft,” said Guidetti after the win over Galeries Tower.
“She’s playing great, she’s absolutely a person fully focused on volleyball. I’m blessed every single day for the choice I made. I really love the way she is, not only as a consistent libero but as a person. She’s really into the team, everybody trusts her,” he added.
(C) PVL Images
Jaboneta attributed her strong start to playing without putting too much pressure on herself. She said she has been enjoying every moment on the court, believing she performs at her best when she is simply having fun.
She admitted that adjusting to her new team was not easy at first, but said the trust and support of her teammates helped her settle into Nxled’s system.
“Sa totoo lang po nag-e-enjoy lang po talaga ako sa loob ng court. ‘Yun nga sabi ko nung last interview, less pressure lang po sa’kin kasi mas kapag nag-e-enjoy lang ako, parang nagagawa ko nang tama ‘yung trabaho ko,” said Jaboneta.
“Makikita naman po kung gaano ako nag-e-enjoy sa court. Ganun din outside the court. Kasi ‘yung energy or ‘yung tiwala nila, nadadala ko po sa loob ng court. Noong una, nahihirapan din po talaga ako sa adjustments ko. Kasi syempre po, kinikilala ko pa po sila inside and outside the court. Parang nahihiya pa ako, naiilang pa ako, pero mas nagiging comfortable na po ako,” she continued.
Despite her impressive start, Jaboneta knows she still has plenty to improve.
She hopes to become more consistent while fully embracing her role as a libero, leaving behind the mindset of an outside hitter and continuing to develop the defensive instincts required by her new position.
“Consistency po talaga and dapat i-own ko po ‘yung role ko. Siyempre po converted ako, so kailangan wala na ‘yung mindset na papalo, kailangan kung ano ‘yung trabaho, gawin,” she said.
“So marami pa akong kailangang i-trabaho po kasi iba-iba po ‘yung kalaban namin, iba iba ‘yung kakahayaan nila as spikers, as players, so every game po kailangan paghandaan talaga. ‘Yun ‘yung challenge sa’kin as libero.”
The post Irah Jaboneta rewards Guidetti’s draft gamble appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
Two weeks after inaugurating its basketball courts, Mighty Sports Center will officially open its volleyball courts at AcroCity in Guiguinto, Bulacan, on Saturday, October 10, in what promises to be another festive affair.
Rising star Jolina Dela Cruz and veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga and Rachell Anne Daquiz, along with the rest of the ZUS Coffee Thunderbelles, will join the celebration dubbed “SET.SPIKE.PLAY.”
AcroCity and Czark Mak chairman Caesar Wongchuking, a longtime sports patron, said that aside from the exhibition match between ZUS Coffee and the Makata Selection of Bulacan at 4 p.m., the event will also feature a meet-and-greet session where fans can interact with their PVL idols.
“Just like the inauguration of the basketball courts, fans can interact with these professional volleyball players,” said Wongchuking. “It’s our own little way to giving back to communities.”
Wongchuking added that proceeds from the event will go to Tahanang Mapagpala of Immaculada Concepcion Foundation, Inc. He also thanked ZUS Coffee owner Frank Lao for allowing his players to take part in the celebration.
Also expected to grace the event are Bulacan Vice Governor Alex Castro and Malolos City Mayor Christian Natividad.
The volleyball courts are part of the Mighty Sports Center at AcroCity, a development envisioned as a “Live, Work, Play” destination in Guiguinto.
Aside from its basketball and volleyball courts and modern fitness center, AcroCity is also home to Acro Residences Hotel, restaurants such as Cafe de Margaux and Mt. Fuji, and event venues including Ang Hardin and NDW Plaza, which is named after the Wongchuking family matriarch, Nelia D. Wongchuking.
The post ZUS Coffee to grace Mighty Sports Center volleyball court launch appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign for the U17 AFCON against Cote d’Ivoire next week Wednesday.
The match schedule is out!
Ouagadougou will host the WAFU B U-17 AFCON Qualifying Tournament Burkina Faso 2026 from 10 to 23 October 2026.
West Africa’s best U-17 teams will battle for qualification to the U-17 AFCON.
Check out the official match schedule!
#WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball #AfricanFootball
#UFOAB #WAFUB #U17AFCON #BurkinaFaso2026 #RoadToAFCON #YouthFootball
— CAF ZONE OUEST B (@CafZoneOuestB) October 7, 2026
Their other Group B match will be against Niger three days later.
The WAFU B U17 AFCON qualifying tournament will kick off Saturday, when hosts Burkina Faso take on Benin and Ghana square up against Togo.
Burkina Faso head Group A, whose overall winners will face runners-up in Group B for a place in the championship game.
The post Golden Eaglets begin U17 AFCON qualifiers vs Cote d’Ivoire first appeared on Score Nigeria.
Alex Eala and Shaira Rivera hurdled their first test as a doubles pair, defeating Hong Kong’s Kallista Liu and Lai Ching Laam, 6-1, 6-3, in the opening round of the women’s doubles tournament at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.
With the outdoor courts washed out by continuous rain, Eala and Rivera had their original schedule pushed back to the evening. The long delay, however, did little to disrupt their rhythm as they quickly took control of the match.
Eala, ranked No. 127 in the world in doubles, and Rivera, a standout at NCAA Division II school University of West Alabama, needed little time to jell as a pair.
(C) POC Media
After their opponents held serve in the opening game, the Filipinas rattled off six straight games to take the first set in just 33 minutes.
The second set lasted a bit longer, but Eala and Rivera remained in control for most of the way to seal the victory at the Higashiyama Park Tennis Center.
The road ahead, however, will be considerably tougher in the second round. Eala and Rivera will face doubles specialists and third seeds Jiang Xinyu and Yang Zhaoxuan of China.
The 27-year-old Jiang is ranked No. 22 in the world in doubles and recently reached the Wimbledon semifinals. Then Yang, 31, has a career-high doubles ranking of No. 9 and has also reached the semifinals of the French Open.
Both Filipinas are also into the next round in their other competitions — Rivera with partner Francis Alcantara in mixed doubles, and Eala in the women’s singles.
The post Alex Eala, Shaira Rivera roll into Asian Games doubles second round appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.
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