After a roller coaster collegiate career, Faith Nisperos is finally set to turn pro.
Nisperos announced on Tuesday morning in a press conference organized by her agency Virtual Playground that she will sign with Akari in the Premier Volleyball League.
“I chose Akari for several reasons. Of course, number one, I worked well with the coach. Coach Jorge [De Brito] and I worked together in 2021 when I was part of the national team,” said the UAAP Season 84 Second Best Outside Hitter.
The outside spiker from Davao started her UAAP career with Ateneo in Season 82, teaming up with Blue Eagle stars Kat Tolentino, Ponggay Gaston, Jules Samonte, and Jho Maraguinot.
However, what was once a promising season turned immediately turned to dust as the COVID-19 pandemic put a stop to the season that saw Nisperos play only two games in her rookie year.
When the UAAP decided to hit the restart button come Season 84, Ateneo’s veterans have already left the team which automatically handed the reins of the Blue Eagles to the young Nisperos.
With Nisperos at the helm of the attack, the Blue Eagles managed to reach the second round of the stepladder playoffs but lost to rival De La Salle University via a sweep. Ateneo took bronze.
Ateneo, who won the V-League Women’s tournament, could not replicate the same feat in Season 85 as they missed the Final Four for the first time in 14 years, finishing the elimination round with a 4-10 win-loss slate — good for sixth place. vAteneo is grateful to Nisperos for not just being a Blue Eagle but also for being a model student-athlete.
“For the past four years, Faith Nisperos has been an exemplary Atenean student-athlete as team captain of the Ateneo Blue Eagles Women’s Volleyball Team,” read the school’s statement on Nisperos, who is set to obtain her degree in BS Management next month.
“Now, Faith has decided to spread her wings further. She has informed the University that she will be entering the world of professional volleyball as she concludes her studies in Ateneo,” it continued.
“We thank her for being a model student-athlete embodying the One Big Fight spirit inside and outside the court. We fully believe that Faith will continue to inspire volleyball athletes and fans in Ateneo and beyond in the years to come, all for the greater glory of God, ad majorem Dei gloriam. Godspeed, Faith!”
She is set to reunite with fellow Ateneans Erika Raagas, the Maraguinot sisters, and Dani Ravena in Akari.
The Power Chargers finished in eighth place during the 2023 PVL All-Filipino Conference, finishing with a 2-8 slate.