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UAAP: Malabanan ready to break out of her shell for FEU

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/sports/02/14/20190214-feu.jpg"/><figcaption>FEU team captain Jerrili Malabanan. Arvin Lim, <a href="https://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos">ABS-CBN Sports</a></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Far Eastern University (FEU) is in dire need of a leader in UAAP Season 81, after the graduation of Bernadeth Pons – the player who served as their heart and soul for the past couple of years.The person they expected to step up in Season 81, Toni Rose Basas, was lost to injury before the tournament even started. They still have some veterans, such as Heather Guino-o and Kyle Negrito, but the one player who the Lady Tamaraws expect to take on a leadership role is Jerrili Malabanan.Malabanan seems a bit of an odd fit as FEU&#x27;s new team captain. She has always been seen as quiet operator, and appears to have a shy demeanor both on and off the court. She doesn&#x27;t carry herself in the same manner that FEU&#x27;s former captains – Pons and Remy Palma – did.Her teammates are confident that she can step into role, however.&quot;Dati, sobrang tahimik (ni Ate Jer),&quot; said <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/25/18/pvl-domingo-embraces-bigger-role-in-feu-lady-tamaraws">middle blocker Celine Domingo</a>. &quot;Ngayon, baliw-baliw na rin siya.&quot; &quot;Siguro, nahawa sa amin,&quot; Domingo adds with a laugh.When told of her teammate&#x27;s statement, Malabanan can only laugh as well – and confirm that it was true.&quot;A lot of my teammates in the team said that, because before, when I first got to the team, I was really shy and I didn&#x27;t really wanna talk that much,&quot; she admitted.&quot;But now, they say that I&#x27;m baliw-baliw, too,&quot; she added.For Malabanan, it was just about time, and adjustment. She was hesitant to speak up at first, but as she grew more and more comfortable with her team -- and with her teammates -- she began to come out of her shell.&quot;It took me time,&quot; she acknowledged. &quot;But now, they&#x27;re like my sisters.&quot;<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tShNiaPTdqM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>This much-improved bond between her and her teammates should help Malabanan in her new role as one of FEU&#x27;s leaders in Season 81.&quot;I think that really will help because you have to know the players on your team well, you have to be bonded with them to be able to know the strength and weakness of each player,&quot; she said.With Malabanan establishing her leadership credentials, the question for her is if she can also come out of her shell as a player for FEU. She has shown flashes of potential in her first four years in the UAAP, but has always struggled to put everything together. Her troubles on floor defense has at times kept her from getting regular playing time.The veteran said the goal in her final collegiate year is to at last play with that consistency.&quot;That&#x27;s what I think has been my problem the past few seasons,&quot; said Malabanan.In this regard, her stints in various commercial leagues should only help her. Malabanan played for Smart in the Philippine Superliga last year, and previously played for BaliPure back when it was still int he Premier Volleyball League. She has generally performed well for her club teams -- better, even, than when she plays for FEU.That she plays much better in commercial leagues than in the UAAP has become a bit of a sore point for Malabanan.<figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/52NyyS7oCIc?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div>&quot;Yes, I always get asked that question,&quot; she said with a sigh. &quot;And I don&#x27;t know what to answer.&quot;&quot;Maybe, in club teams, there&#x27;s like veterans playing,&quot; she theorized. &quot;But UAAP is a different story. There&#x27;s a lot more pressure.&quot;She is determined to answer those questions this year, however, and be a leader for the Lady Tamaraws both on the court and off it.&quot;This year, I&#x27;m gonna try my best to show what I did in other leagues,&quot; Malabanan promised.&quot;Of course, it&#x27;s last season so you want to give everything you got,&quot; she added.The Lady Tamaraws are going to need all that Malabanan can give, and more, if they hope to stay at the top tier of the UAAP in Season 81. Not only did they lose Pons and veteran libero Kyla Atienza to graduation, but they will also be without another ace scorer in Basas.The pressure, thus, is on veterans like Malabanan, Guino-o, Domingo, and Negrito, along with promising rookie Lycha Ebon to lift the Lady Tams this year. It will be a tall task: none of them had ever done the heavy lifting for their team before, as that had been the job of Pons and Basas, and before them, Palma.But Malabanan is confident that they can get it done, and achieve the goals they set for themselves this year.&quot;Of course I am very confident in my team. I know how my teammates can play, and we&#x27;ve been performing pretty good in our <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/09/12/18/pvl-lady-maroons-top-lady-tamaraws-to-win-collegiate-conference-title">preseason tournaments</a>,&quot; she said.For more sports coverage, visit the <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com">ABS-CBN Sports website</a>.

Far Eastern University (FEU) is in dire need of a leader in UAAP Season 81, after the graduation of Bernadeth Pons – the player who served as their heart and soul for the past couple of years.

Far Eastern University (FEU) is in dire need of a leader in UAAP Season 81, after the graduation of Bernadeth Pons – the player who served as their heart and soul for the past couple of years.

UAAP: Malabanan ready to break out of her shell for FEU

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UAAP: Malabanan ready to break out of her shell for FEU

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Feb 14, 2019 04:05 PM PHT

Read More:

UAAP

volleyball

FEU Lady Tamaraws

Jerrili Malabanan

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