The Jose Maria College (JMC) Kings bounced back with a 3–1 victory over DMMA College of Southern Philippines (DCSP) as the V-League Davao Leg resumed Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at the Almendras Gym Davao City Recreation Center, underscoring organizers’ push to bring high-level collegiate volleyball closer to athletes in the Visayas and Mindanao.
JMC took the match 27–25, 25–20, 24–26, 25–20 in the men’s division, leaning on a strong all-around performance by Joash Sipate, who finished with seven service aces, 24 attack points, and three block points.
The Kings were coming off a tough opening-day loss on Wednesday, Feb. 4, when Holy Cross of Davao College (HCDC) Cross Blazers edged Jose Maria College in five sets, 21–25, 25–20, 22–25, 25–21, 15–5. Jan Austria powered HCDC with five service aces and 24 attack points, handing JMC an early setback in the men’s division.
The Davao leg was formally launched during a forum at the venue, where league organizers Ken Ucang and Abet Bernan outlined their vision of building a nationwide volleyball platform that decentralizes sports development, long concentrated in Metro Manila.
“Our mission is to make this a truly nationwide platform for volleyball,” Ucang said. “For a long time, development in ball sports has been concentrated in NCR. We have a lot of talent in Mindanao and the Visayas, but many athletes still have to go to Manila just to be seen or make it to college.”
Earlier men’s division matches on Feb. 4 also saw the Philippine Women’s College of Davao (PWC) Patriots sweep DCSP, 25–13, 25–20, 25–23, behind Raymark Marquiso’s 14 attack points.
In the women’s division, Holy Cross of Davao College Cross Blazers dominated University of Mindanao, 3–0, 25–16, 25–23, 25–14, paced by Angelica Ordinaria’s 15 attack points and two block points. Jose Maria College likewise posted a straight-set win over PWC, 25–22, 25–22, 25–23, with Honjane Sivillino tallying nine attack points and two block points.
Ucang said the league aims to highlight Visayas-Mindanao athletes and coaches within their home regions, reducing the need for student-athletes to relocate to pursue competitive opportunities.
“We’re bringing the league here so athletes can be seen, valued, and developed right where they are,” he said. “The talent is already here in VisMin.”
Champions of the Davao leg will advance to the national championships scheduled for December 2026 in Manila, where they will face winners from other regional legs. Confirmed national qualifiers include University of Cebu and Colegio de San Jose Recoletos from Cebu City, as well as Far Eastern University and Adamson University from Manila.
The Davao leg features five teams each in the men’s and women’s divisions competing in a single round-robin format, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. Matches are held every Wednesday and Friday, with the championship set for Feb. 25 at the Almendras Gym.
Organized under the Davao Athletics Schools Foundation Inc. (DASAFI), the V-League plans to expand to Iloilo by midyear as it continues to roll out regional legs nationwide. MLSA Ria Jewel Palomo, SunStar Intern/NDDU