BACOLOD Tay Tung tries to cement its status in Rebisco Volleyball League history as it vies for a third straight national title when the National Finals 2026 get going this Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.
Going for a three-peat, though, is easier said than done for the Western Visayas champions.
Looking to steal the thunder from the Thunderbolts are nine worthy local challengers – who earned their respective spots after months of grueling regional battles – as well as two foreign teams that are expected to provide quality international competition to the local school squads.
Three schools are keen on making a great first impression in their national finals debut: Immaculate Conception Academy, Davao City National High School, and Holy Trinity College.
Immaculate Conception Academy is one of the two South Luzon champions. A perennial semifinalist in the regional finals, the Dasmariñas, Cavite-based school is coached by Jennifer Buhawe Aranas, a champion coach from San Sebastian for indoor and beach volleyball.
Davao City National High School is representing Southern Mindanao. A regular Final Four team in the regionals and has produced Lucille Almonte of Adamson, the Davao school looks to make a mark in the Big City this time.
Holy Trinity College from General Santos City, for its part, looks for the upset as it earned the right to be Central Mindanao’s representative after an unexpected, yet still deserving victory in the regional finals.
While the three schools are rookies, two teams are making successive National Finals appearances and are hoping to be ripe for the picking: University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) and Linao National High School.
Central Visayas champion USJ-R of Cebu seeks to get over the hump this time after several podium finishes, including the bronze last season.
Linao National High School of Leyte, for its part, is an emerging Visayas powerhouse and is eager not to waste its trip to Manila after being back-to-back Eastern Visayas champion.
Meanwhile, four schools are making a comeback to the national stage after missing out on the previous edition: National University of Nazareth School (NUNS), Iligan City National High School, De la Salle Lipa, and California Academy.
NUNS is proud to represent NCR again. Despite being the youngest team in terms of average age, the Lady Bullpups have the experience to win at this level, being the first-ever RVL national champion in 2017. NUNS, whose biggest product is national team and Akari star Faith Nisperos, also looks to translate its success from its mother league after recently ruling the UAAP.
Iligan City National High School is making a third appearance in the national finals as the Northern Mindanao representative. If their products and current pro players Kath Arado and Judith Abil are any indication, Iligan National certainly has underrated talent to compete.
De la Salle Lipa joins Immaculate Conception as the two Southern Luzon champions. The school that produced the Maraguinot sisters, Alleiah Malaluan, and Maji Mangulabnan, among others, the NCAA South champion school is making its third entry to the national finals and is trying to at least match its runner-up finish in the inaugural edition in 2017.
Finally, California Academy ruled Northern Luzon to book its second ticket to the national finals. The school from Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya unseated Sta. Cruz Academy of Lubao Inc. as the regional champion from north Luzon.
To make things more interesting, foreign guest teams Persatuan Bola Tampar Sarawak of Malaysia and Perfect Set of USA are joining the local teams in the RVL National Finals preliminary stage before challenging the eventual local finalists in the separate RVL Invitational Finals on Jan. 23 and 24.
The games are open to the public and all are invited to come to the Ynares Sports Arena from Jan. 17 to 24 to get a chance to watch tomorrow’s volleyball stars in action today. Fans can also follow the livestream and get all updates via https://www.facebook.com/RebiscoVolleyballPH/.
