Farm Fresh emerged victorious over sister team ZUS Coffee off a four-set decision, 26-24, 13-25, 25-21, 25-19, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Thursday, December 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. After barely winning the opening set and getting slumped in the second, the Foxies regained their rhythm and immediately corrected the mistakes in the last two frames to secure the win and post an even 2-2 win-loss record.Jovelyn Gonzaga's attack error at 19-15 gave the Foxies a four-point lead after the game had started neck and neck in the fourth set.With momentum on their side, Trisha Tubu propelled Farm Fresh ahead to gain its largest lead at 23-16.“We observe how they move, and if we see something that doesn’t align with their usual play, we need to correct it immediately, and that’s what happened earlier,” said Farm Fresh head coach Edson Bocboc. “In the first two sets, they were really off, so those are the things we need to fix. They still need to get used to competing and playing in more matches,” he added.

Defending champion University of Santo Tomas eliminated the Adamson Lady Falcons, 71-59, on Wednesday, December 4, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena to forge a best-of-three UAAP Season 87 championship series with seven-time champions National University Lady Bulldogs.“It is a total team effort. At the end of the day, our defense dictated our game against Adamson,” UST head coach Haydee Ong said in Filipino. “This game also showed the things we need to work on ahead of the finals.”After falling behind by double digits in the second quarter, the Lady Falcons sprinted to a 15-2 run to take control and grabbed a 37-35 lead at the half. Adamson kept attacking the cold-shooting UST early in the second half before the Tigresses put up a 13-3 blitz to conclude the third quarter and restore momentum on their way to the game-winning victory. 

Jamie Danielle Nirza clinched gold in the advanced women’s individual kata at the 2024 Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games on Wednesday, December 5, at the NCCC Mall in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 18-year-old Nirza, who is representing Philippines Team A, exhibited her outstanding skills to earn 36.5 total points, defeating Malaysia’ A Anisa Aira Nur who logged 36.2 for silver medal.Malaysia B’s Ameera Liew and Brunei’s Nasir Abdul completed the podium to bag the bronze medal.

Rain or Shine gave the guest team from Hong Kong an Elasto Painters rough welcome, giving Eastern their first taste of defeat in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup, 99-81, on December 4 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Debuting RoS import Deon Thompson led coach Yeng Guiao's wards with his allaround performance producing 21 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.

The NorthPort Batang Pier won their third straight victory in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup after overcoming Magnolia Hotshots, 107-103, on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.NorthPort relied on their defense to get the win. The Batang Piers tallied 15 steals and seven blocks, and also forced 24 opponent's turnovers.Import Kadeem Jack led NP with his double-double output of 30 points and 11 rebounds, to go along with two steals and two blocks.Arvin Tolentino and Joshua Munzon logged in 27 and 25 a piece to lead the local unit.Tolentino got four rebounds, one steal and a block. He also drew fouls from opponents 11 times, while Munzon added nine boards, three assists, and five steals to his name.

Creamline bounced back from a failed third-set rally against sibling rival Choco Mucho, 25-22, 25-20, 30-32, 25-20, in the 2024-25 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Tuesday, December 3.The Cool Smashers, who were on the verge of winning the tournament with their third consecutive sweep, faltered in a thrilling third set before rallying in the fourth to force a tie with Cignal at the top of the rankings, both with identical 3-0 records."But of course, the Choco [Mucho] really, really won't lose easily. We know they will come back to the game so I just told the players that we should just enjoy ourselves, perform well so we can get the win," said Creamline head coach Sherwin Meneses."Let's not be pressured. It's just that, the [players] responded, because there are many [game] rallies, so it's really not just a battle, it's really endurance. So, it's good that we got the win," he added.

Filipina swimmer Quendy Fernandez notched four gold medals in the 11th BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 19-year-old University of the Philippines student brushed off the scorching heat as she splashed her way to grab the girls’ 100-meter backstroke crown, registering a time of 1:07.21.Fernandez breezed past Lora Micah Moguis who clinched the silver medal with a time of 1:10.53, while Jann Maureen Doton clocked in 1:18.42 to nab the bronze honor.

The Santa Rosa Wrestling Team of Santa Rosa, Laguna collected a total of 12 medals in the recently concluded 2024 Batang Pinoy held at the Mendoza Park in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.They bagged seven golds, three silvers, and two bronzes to wrap up their stint in the Palawan edition.El John Ponting led the list of those who captured gold medals as he topped the Greco Roman (32kg) and FreeStyle Wrestling (32kg) in the 12-13 years old categories.Ponting was named back-to-back Best Player in his age category in the 2023 and 2024 Batang Pinoy.

The San Miguel Beermen climbed-up from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Phoenix Fuel Masters, 107-104, on Tuesday, December 3, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Marcio Lassiter rifled his 15th point in the game when he was found by Juami Tiongson in the open corner after a solid pick given by import Quincy Miller to give San Miguel a 105-104 lead.Phoenix then still had a chance to get a knack at the basket with 2.3 seconds remaining but they threw the ball away forcing them to foul Beermen's Simon Enciso who sank both of his free throws.Fuel Masters import Donovan Smith still had a chance to force the game to overtime when he made an attempt at the backcourt with 0.7 left in the game but his shot only hit the board.

The NLEX Road Warriors dominated the Terrafirma Dyip, 104-85, to earn their second win in the ongoing PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup on Tuesday, December 3, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.From the get go until the very end, NLEX never let go of the lead that even reached the high of 25.Robert Bolick led the Road Warriors with his 32 points, five assists, and four rebounds on 78.6 (11/14) percent shooting from the field, 2-of-2 from the four-point line, and a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line.Import Mike Watkins backed-up Bolick with his monster double-double of 26 markers and 30 boards, to go along with four blocks and three dishes.Two more players scored in double digits with Xyrus Torres contributing 15, and Anthony Semerad adding 13.NLEX also dominated the paint, 52-34, which became a big factor in getting their second straight win after losing their opening game of the mid-season conference.Coach Jong Uichico’s wards might have won the game but the nine-time PBA champion mentor was not completely satisfied with the results as they played an opponent who played all-Filipino in the entire second half.

Chery Tiggo showcased title aspirations as they erased PLDT’s three-game winning streak, 25-12, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, to claim solo third in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference on Tuesday, December 3, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.The Crossovers handed the PLDT High Speed Hitters their first conference defeat and tallied identical 3-1 records.Chery Tiggo's tenacity was evident in the fourth set, after slipping a straight-set victory in the third frame. In a narrow finish, they overcame their opponent after mounting a late comeback after falling behind 17–19.The Crossovers also took advantage of PLDT’s mistakes in service reception to score eight aces. Additionally, they only made 18 of their own mistakes, turning 33 unforced ones into free points.

The Hong Kong Eastern squad will juggle its assignments in three different leagues back in the country to continue their PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup campaign.They are looking forward to getting their third straight win when they face Rain or Shine on Wednesday, December 4, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium.The Hong Kong-based squad already established their own identity after being compared to the former guest team Bay Area Dragons when they defeated the Phoenix Fuel Masters in their opening game, 102-87, and followed it up with another convincing win against Converge, 117-106.

San Miguel taps Quincy Miller to be their reinforcement in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title defense when they face the Phoenix Fuel Masters tonight, December 7, 7:30 PM at Ninoy Aquino Stadium.Miller is one of the imports of the Beermen in the East Asia Super League, or EASL, together with their Governor’s Cup import, EJ Anosike.The return of the 6’10” Miller will bring his versatility and scoring prowess to the already powerhouse squad, which also acquired the services of Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig from Terrafirma in exchange for Vic Manuel and Terrence Romeo.In his EASL stint with SMB, Miller averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in the two games they already played this year.As he returns to Asia's first play-for-pay league, he will be joined by the eighth-time MVP, June Mar Fjardo, and reigning Finals MVP, CJay Perez, in defending their crown.

Nesthy Petecio, a two-time Olympic medallist, received a promotion from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) after winning a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.The Filipina pugilist was promoted from Petty Officer Second Class (PO2) to the next higher rank of Petty Officer First Class (PO1).PCG Commandant Admiral Ronnie Gil L Gavan conducted the ceremony at the National Headquarters, Port Area, Manila, on Monday, December 2.

Filipino tanker Phillip Adrian Sahagun bagged the first overall gold medal at the 2024 Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines – East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) Friendship Games on Monday, December 2, at the Ramon V. Mitra Sports Complex in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.The 21-year-old Sahagun breezed past his rivals and won by a hair as he clocked in 2 minutes and 13.52 seconds ahead of his closest pursuer in Indonesia’s Hidayatullah Aril who registered 2:13.83 in the boys’ 200-meter individual medley (IM).Rodolfo Apilado III, another Philippine swimmer, finished with 2:20.82 to capture the bronze medal, completing the podium of the first event of the entire tournament."I didn't expect to win, because two weeks ago I just got back from the UAAP and I didn't have [enough] time to prepare for this because I also want to be able to rest. I had no training for one week at all," said the third-year BS Entrepreneurship student of De La Salle University."But my mindset is swim for the Philippines," he added. "During the last lap, I felt a little pain in my body but I saw my opponent chasing so I pushed.  I was there at first so I said I will not give up the gold."

Bahrain will take the lead in hosting the 3rd Asian Youth Games in 2025. The decision was reached during the Olympic Council of Asia or OCA's Executive Board Meeting, following the cancellation of the event in Tashkent, Uzbekistan."The Olympic Council of Asia announces that the 3rd Asian Youth Games, scheduled to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, will be held in Bahrain in 2025. The decision was made at a meeting of the organization's executive committee held today, December 2," the OCA stated.

Criss Cross emerged as the top-seeded team after sweeping Savouge, 25-22, 25-21, 25-22, concluding the elimination round of the 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitation Conference on Sunday, December 1, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. The King Crunchers tied with their archrivals, the Cignal HD Spikers, atop the leaderboard with 8-1 win loss records, but wound up with the superior points ratio.Nico Almendras had his greatest game to date in a Criss Cross jersey, registering a game-high 19 points built on 15 attacks, three aces, and one block. The King Crushers ended the elimination round on a scorching six-game winning streak thanks to his outstanding performance."This win is important to us because we will be competing in the semis so maybe what we played today, we will be able to watch it and,  of course, learn from it as well," said Almendras.

La Salle-EcoOil concluded its 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference campaign with straight sets, 25-19, 25-22, 25-18, victory over VNS on Sunday, December 1, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.The Green Oilers missed out on the Final Four despite a strong start that included four straight victories."I said just enjoy it. It was somehow disappointing in a sense that we didn't make it to the Final Four, but I'm hoping that with all our losses, we have learned something," said head coach Jose Roque, reflecting on the team's campaign.

D’Navigators Iloilo wrapped up its 2024 Spikers’ Turf Invitational Conference on a high note after defeating Martelli Meats, 25-17, 25-14, 25-20, on Sunday, December 1, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan. The win allowed the D’Navigators to end the tournament on a triumphant note by ending a seven-game losing streak. They finished eighth in a 10-team field with a 2-7 win-loss record. “Despite being at the bottom, maybe we tried our best despite the problems,” head coach Boyet Delmoro said as he lauded his team’s resolve despite the challenges. "The main factor is not being able to practice together. We'll learn from that in the next season. We will plan carefully so that we can be there again (above), because we were number four before. Now, we're far," he added.

National University ruled the UAAP Season 87 Cheerdance Competition, claiming its eight title overall with a breathtaking, space-themed performance on Sunday, December 1, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.With NU capturing their eighth UAAP Cheerdance Competition crown, they are now tied with longtime first-placers University of the Philippines Pep Squad and University of Santo Tomas Salinggawi Troupe, solidifying the program's status as an all-time powerhouse in the highly-anticipated annual competition.NU Pep Squad’s gravity-defying, windmill-like stunts propelled the team to a runaway victory, dethroning Far Eastern University with a total of 713 points.Team captain John Paul Cabido credited his coaches for the concept and theme.