Natalia Cabralez passes the ball toward a teammate during a district volleyball contest last season. (Photo by Pete Luna|Leader-News)

The Uvalde Lobos did not enjoy a lot of success in volleyball last season.

But with a big majority of players from last year’s varsity team returning, Coach Debra Martinez is confident that the Lobos can stage a turnaround in 2025.

“We graduated a lot of seniors from the previous year and began last season with a young volleyball team in terms of age and experience,” said Coach Martinez. “We started out with only four returning varsity players.”

The Lobos won only five out of their 31 matches, including only one District 27-4A match. Their lone district win was a thrilling 25-19, 25-21, 20-25, 22-25, and 16-14 victory over the Pearsall Mavericks on Sept. 20 in Harvey Kinchlow Gym.

“We had a young team playing in a tough district race. Our girls were challenged on trust and team bonding. We tried to close the gaps as the season went along,” said Martinez. “We played a lot of young players, who gained a lot of experience. We hope to build on that as we begin this new volleyball season.”

Coach Martinez returns nine of the 13 players from last year’s varsity and hopes to gain some help from other young players, including a strong incoming freshman class.

“Our expectations will be higher,” said Martinez. “We will work for team accountability. We hope to set the tone from the first day of practice. Team unity is a priority. If we focus on these things, we can be successful.”

Aug. 1 is the date for the first official practice session of the season for the 2025 Lobos.

But Martinez hopes that the Lobos will take advantage of an open gym this summer to work on their volleyball skills.

“Open gym begins on June 2, from 4 to 6 p.m., while the strength and conditioning program will run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays,” said Martinez. “Our two-a-day practices will start at 6 to 8 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. on Aug. 1.”

The Lobos will begin regular-season competition on Aug. 12 at Lytle. The 2025 season home opener is set for Aug. 26 when the Uvalde girls will host San Antonio Kennedy.

Prior to the Kennedy match, the Lobos will take part in the Hondo tournament and the Floresville tournament. Other pre-district opponents will include San Antonio Western Hills, Utopia, and Charlotte.

District 27-4A action will begin for the Lobos on Sept. 9 at Pleasanton.

They will play at Devine on Sept. 12, before making their district home debut against Somerset on Sept. 16 in Kinchlow Gym.

Floresville, Devine, Somerset, and Carrizo Springs were the top four teams in district volleyball last season. They appear to be the teams to beat against in 2025.

“I am confident that if we focus and change for the better, we are going to compete and put Uvalde High School back on the volleyball map.”

KUCHING: The Sarawak Government will not allow the ongoing leadership crisis within the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) to impede the sport’s development.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said his ministry is actively working to resolve the internal dispute, which has escalated to the courts, and is prepared to implement a contingency plan should the situation fail to improve.

“If things do not proceed as we hope, and if badminton is affected and we are unable to develop the sport due to the internal problems among members, then we will activate a contingency plan to resolve the issue and start afresh,” he explained.

He said this when met during his visit to the Sarawak International Youth Football Championship 2025 (SIYFC25) held at Sarawak Stadium today.

Abdul Karim added that the ministry’s main approach for now is to encourage dialogue among all parties involved in SBA to reach an internal resolution.

“The best way to solve this problem is to sit down together and try to find a good solution. That is what I am trying to do,” he said.

He also acknowledged that the association’s internal crisis could disrupt athlete development, training programmes, and efforts to nurture new talent in badminton across Sarawak.

The SBA crisis reportedly began last year following a split among top committee members, which eventually led to legal proceedings.

Commenting further, Abdul Karim stressed that the state government does not want internal disputes to jeopardise the future of athletes or the sports industry as a whole.

It’s a three-peat for EJ Obiena!

The Filipino pole vaulter took home his third straight gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championships on May 31 in Gumi, South Korea.

Obiena bested China’s Huang Bokai in a jump-off as the two were tied at 5.72 meters.

In the tie-breaker, only the 29-year-old Filipino was able to clear the 5.77m jump, successfully retaining his gold in his first attempt.

Bokai earned silver while Thailand’s Patsapong Amsamarng took home bronze with a clearance of 5.62m.

After the event, EJ shared a selfie with Bokai and Amsamarng at the podium with their medals.

“Three-peat Asian Champion!!!” he captioned.

Another Filipino, Hikett delos Santos, finished 13th among the 15 pole vault finalists. He was able to clear 4.97m.

Obiena is the world’s No. 4 in men’s pole vault. He placed fourth at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Earlier this year, he was named Athlete of the Year by the San Miguel Corporation-Philippine Sportswriters Association.

The pole vaulter holds the Asian record, 6.00m, which he cleared at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

He won his first gold at the Asian Championships in 2019 in Doha, Qatar, and his second in 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. In his 2023 run, he achieved a 5.91m jump.

At NCAA regional track and field meets, the high jump ends when the field is narrowed to 12 athletes.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has dismissed President William Ruto’s recent public apology, terming it insincere.

The former DP argued that President Ruto’s apology failed to address the true anguish experienced by families of Gen Z protesters, who were abducted or killed during last year’s nationwide demonstrations.

“If the President genuinely seeks forgiveness,” Gachagua said, “he should start by personally reaching out to the parents of those young men and women who disappeared or were murdered.”

Speaking during a tour of Thika and Gatundu North on Saturday May 31, 2025, Gachagua also issued a stern warning to individuals allegedly being paid to disrupt his public gatherings.

He declared that anyone who attempts to interfere with his rallies would be “finished politically.”

Accompanied by several leaders aligned with his new political movement, Gachagua criticized the government’s current empowerment program led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.

Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa described the initiative as a “political bribe” aimed at pacifying the Mt. Kenya region, questioning why the program was focused solely there.

At the same time, former Thika MP Patrick Wainaina called on opposition leaders to unite and rally behind a single presidential candidate to mount a formidable challenge against President William Ruto in the 2027 general election.

Wainaina also announced his intention to vie for the Thika Town parliamentary seat on a Democratic Congress Party (DCP) ticket in 2027.

He previously contested the Kiambu gubernatorial race in 2022, where he was defeated by Governor Kimani Wamatangi.