As Palarong Medisina 2019 draws closer and closer, we continue to showcase our stellar sports teams! Yesterday, we featured a team that made it to the semifinals last year. Today, we have a team that’s raring to go and hoping for a better performance in this year’s competition, the men’s team of the UP Med Aces!

The UP Med Aces, as we will learn later in the interview, is what the combined men’s and women’s volleyball team is called. It’s a relatively new name, but the teams have been around long before the name’s inception. They usually train together, but in Palarong Medisina and other tournaments volleyball is usually separated into men’s and women’s divisions. The men’s team this year is led by Henzor Dauigoy (Class 2021), who was also co-captain last year, and Jeram Angobung (Class 2022), who is expected to carry the mantle of captain until next year. Read on to know more about the team and our captains!

The UP Med Aces men’s team in a huddle during last year’s Palarong Medisina. Photo courtesy of Markyn Jared Kho (Class 2020).

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UP MEDICS: How would you describe your team’s performance in the last Palarong Medisina?

Henzor: Last year’s Palarong Med was actually a season when we had no worries of losing any of our key players since none of us were LU7 students. With that, we were laxer in terms of our trainings and overall attitude towards the season. Although we weren’t able to reach semifinals, which was our goal, it was a generally exciting season being that we had some really emotion-riddled sets against other schools like UST. For Bakbakan naman, just as we do every year, we aim for the championship. We got it naman, and we’re proud of that! This year ulit hehe.

UP MEDICS: Has your team participated in other events or competitions outside Palarong Medisina and Bakbakan? If yes, what? If no, do you plan to change that?

Henzor: We recently joined this newly piloted league organized by a political partylist in Quezon. It was held on weekends so it was pretty hard to gather our team especially since most from our starting line-up are LU6/LU7. Still we were able to form a roster, and were able to compete. We didn’t get to semifinals, but it was an experience in itself being that it’s the very first league we joined outside Palarong Med and Bakbakan.

UP MEDICS: What do you think are your team’s strengths?

Henzor: Well, number one is that we have a lot of committed players. A lot of us not only consider volleyball a leisure activity, but also as a passion outside medicine. I think more than anything that’s our greatest strength. Number two is that we’re pretty close as a team (together [with the] women’s team), and although it doesn’t necessarily give us an edge over other teams in Palarong Med since they’re probably close as well, it’s a solid strength pa rin in itself.

UP MEDICS: What do you think are your team’s weaknesses or areas that need most improvement?

Henzor: Relatively, we need to work more on our skills, and so we are [doing that] HAHA.

UP MEDICS: Does UP Med Aces have regular training sessions? If yes, how often, and what strategies do you use during training? If no, do you plan on changing that? How do you think this affects your team?

Henzor: Yes, we have at least one training every week. If we’re not able to formulate a specific training program for the day because of our busy schedules, we just do reps of basic skills, and have scrimmages after. It’s pretty difficult to set programs for the team given that we don’t have much background in the technical teaching aspects of it, but we try haha. We also train together with the women’s team most of the time, and inputs from one another really help.

Co-captain Henzor Dauigoy (Class 2021) spikes through the double block. Photo taken at Palarong Medisina 2018, courtesy of Markyn Jared Kho (Class 2020).

UP MEDICS: How long have you been playing volleyball? What made you start playing volleyball?

Henzor: I started playing volleyball no’ng Grade 5, mga 11 years old. ‘Di ko rin actually matandaan pero alam ko may kasama akong classmate no’n eh, so baka ‘yon haha!

Jeram: Nagsimula akong maglaro noong high school during intramurals as server lang. Like every after kong magserve ilalabas nila ako tapos abang nalang ulit ng next chance to serve haha. Then came 4th year college, nakakuha ako ng PE 2 class na volleyball and boom! Nag-enjoy naman ako at natuto ng basics, tapos nagulat nalang ako no’ng VLeague ng mga PE2 classes na kasama ako sa line-up (as a libero) ng prof namin pero di ko rin gets kung bakit ako nasama. Maybe may nakita siya na hindi ko na-feel or na-notice haha. So ayun fast forward, nag-champion kami and nagtuluy-tuloy na yung pagkahumaling ko sa volleyball. Pero tbh, newbie pa rin talaga ako pagdating sa volleyball and marami pa akong kailangang matutunan.

UP MEDICS: How long have you been part of UP Med Aces? Why did you decide to join?

Henzor: Background: Bago lang actually ‘yong UP Med Aces na name. Two years ago lang siya kinoyn and it was more to give us an identity and to bring the men’s and women’s team closer together. So going back, technically two years ako part ng Med Aces, pero I’ve been playing with the team since LU1 back in 2014 HAHA! (Fuk, ang tagal na pala HAHA)

Jeram: Sumali ako sa UP Med Aces noong LU3 1st sem so mga one and a half year na. Actually, pumunta lang talaga ako sa open training para makita/makasama na maglaro si Kathy Bersola (az a fan) and super welcoming naman yung team sa mga newbies. Also, narealize ko na super enjoy din talaga na nakakapaglaro ka na sa loob ng court at hindi ka na nakabangko (huhuhaha).

UP MEDICS: How do you think being part of UP Med Aces has affected your life?

Henzor: If there’s one thing I’m sure of in life, it’s volleyball HAHA. So ‘yon, having a volleyball team in UPCM was a relief especially coming in from HS, back when I’d only look forward to varsity days haha. Siguro it affected me in that same way in that I have something to look forward to other than actual med lmao.

Jeram: Well it’s volleyball meaning mas magiging active na yung lifestyle ko mejj may exercise, takbo takbo, push ups, etc. Atsaka minsan ito na rin yung nagiging pangtanggal stress ko after a long tiring day sa med. Lastly, perks na may mga nakakausap ka tuwing training na upperclassmen, minsan pa nga mga Residents ganun. May palibreng life lessons sila, consultations at may tips din about acads and life itself. Haha.

UP MEDICS: Why did you decide to be Captain? How does being captain differ from the other members of the team? (Does it entail additional tasks/responsibilities or an entirely different role?)

Henzor: More of a rite of passage siya eh. Meron talaga from every LU who will eventually become a captain. Together with the women’s team captain, Zora, and my co-captain, Jerm, more of administrative work siya: We have to reserve courts for trainings and tune-up games, handle corresponding paper works, design and handle the jerseys, etc.

Jeram: Nung una hesitant and takot pa ako na tanggapin yung position, pero after akong kausapin ng mga senoirs ko sa team dun ko nakita na they truly believe na kaya ko naman gampanan yung tungkulin ko bilang captain. Aside from the administrative work na nabanggit ni Henzor, I think isa pang job ng isang captain is to look-out for the team. Like, pinag-uusapan talaga namin kung paano namin mabibigyan ng chance na mag-shine ang bawat teammate namin, minsan nagshu-shuffle kami ng mga pwesto for fun. Haha

UP MEDICS: What position do you play? How do you think this influences your role as Captain?

Henzor: Open spiker ako. Not that much really. All positions are equally important naman, so regardless of that the same is expected of a captain.

Jeram: I’m a Libero so ayun, I always got yo back 😉 (az a forever back-liner)

UP MEDICS: Aside from UP Med Aces, are you part of any other team (sports team, choir, etc.) for the college or outside of it? What other sports/activities do you spend your time on?

Henzor: Back in LU1/LU2, I tried out for most of the sports in UPCM haha, pero I always go back to volleyball eh. Aside from Med Aces, I’m part of the UPM varsity team. Bago lang siya; this year lang binuo. We’re also training for this league in March.

Jeram: HAHAHA BS Org po yata yung undergrad ko so malamang naidala ko siya sa Med. Aside from Med Aces, I’m part of the UPCM’s Badminton team. I am also a member of 3 Med organizations, namely RSO, OTN and MSSR. Lastly, I am one of the founding members of UP Namnama Manila, a duly accredited University-wide student organization for Ilocanos.

UP MEDICS: How do you balance being Captain and being a medical student?

Henzor: As Nike says, just do it. LMAO. “It” being the work that [has] to be done.

Jeram: TBH, hindi ko rin alam kung paano ko kinakaya pero so far so good.

UP MEDICS: What can you say about the bias towards women’s volleyball in the various leagues in the Philippines (UAAP/PSL/PVL)? Do you think men’s volleyball teams (even in the same leagues) deserve more support than what they currently get?

Henzor: Definitely haha. Pero more or less, I think it’s getting there. Maraming magagaling na players sa men’s. Honestly, mas may chance pa nga yung men’s maka-podium finish in international competitions especially with Espejo, Bagunas, and Abdilla in the line-up. Lodis ko mga yun.

Jeram: Come on people it’s 2019! Feeling ko kasi nasanay na yung society natin na ang Volleyball ay para sa mga babae at ang basketball ay para naman sa mga lalaki. But I know someday somehow, mababago din yang pananaw na iyan.

UP MEDICS: Free space!!! Anything else you want to say, shoutout/s, quotes of your choosing, etc.

Henzor & Jeram: This year is for our graduating interns! Sana mabigyan namin kayo ng isang send-off that you deserve!

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The UP Med Aces men’s team celebrating a hard-earned point at Palarong Medisina 2018. Photo courtesy of Markyn Jared Kho (Class 2020).

There’s really something about being part of a team and playing a sport that you love that can really draw you in. It’s exciting to imagine what the team will be able to bring in this year’s Palarong Medisina judging from how they have been preparing. Let’s continue to #ShowOurSupport (#SOS) for the UP Med Aces as they represent the college in Palarong Medisina 2019 and Bakbakan: Trese!

Photos courtesy of Markyn Jared Kho (Class 2020). Many many thanks to Henzor Dauigoy (Class 2021) and Jeram Angobung (Class 2022) for taking the time to answer our questions!