TIGER SPIKER’S COLINARES

WRITTEN BY : Juan Carlos Fernandez and Yitzhak Osei Bumanlag

Oozing with talent, skill, and confidence, Edlyn Paul “King Popoy” Colinares has proven himself within the court that he is a force to be reckoned with. Being crowned as a University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Junior Division’s Best Middle Blocker as a Junior Tiger and now fresh off as a contributor to UST’s 1st-Runner Up finish in the V-League Collegiate Challenge, the Second Year Mechanical Engineering Student will make his debut as a collegiate-level player in the upcoming UAAP Season 85 Men’s Volleyball tournament.

Starting to play the sport at 9th grade, Edlyn has only been in the game for roughly five years, citing that watching his brother play the sport as the reason he became hooked on volleyball, eventually joining as well. Upon being asked about his main motivation in continuing his stellar play, he fondly states that his family and his dream keep him going through the rigors of being a highly competitive athlete.

Fierce as a competitor and relentless as an individual, Edlyn is regarded as a player of unlimited potential, and combined with his imposing 6’2 height as well as stifling defense made him a valuable piece of UST’s rotation. Experiencing the regular defensive assignments as the first line of defense, Popoy confided that their training was tough and challenging but adding that it is worth it as it is beneficial for their improvement as players and enabling them to perform better.

Along with his training comes his academic balance, the 21-year-old expresses that one of the difficulties that he faces is the schedule they have with online classes because it can sometimes be conflicting with their training schedule. However, he remarked that having proper disci- pline and time management is the key to being able to juggle sports and academic responsibilities.

Being challenged individually and as a team by the sudden halt of competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he muses that weight gain has been an obstacle due to the absence of equipment to use for training. From a team standpoint, Edlyn notes that the lack of communication and chemistry due to the lack of team practices has been another barrier for them but has already been a nonissue since their return to a normal regimen and team training.

Last played at the UAAP Season 82, the tiger spiker denotes that the experience from before is different now that he is participating on the collegiate level. He expects a higher level of intensity in every game and that their opponents should not be underestimated in any way. Now healthy as a team, the second-year student has only responded that they have been doing their best to compete and prepare for a highly anticipated upcoming season not only for the players but for the fans as well. When asked about the team’s greatest strength, Edlyn proudly says that they are a whole team as all players treat each other as family and boldly proclaims that they have the confidence as a team, not as an individual - signifying a cohesive and well-balanced approach with the team-first mentality already being displayed in their second-place finish at the V-League.

Despite the rigors the upcoming season may have, he, however, remains unfazed and looks forward to the challenges the competition will bring. Nonetheless, the player remarked that each of them has been preparing for the upcoming UAAP Volleyball Tournament in February 2023.