By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negros Island Region’s (NIR) bid for championship took a devastating turn after star player Rhose Vianne Almendralejo suffered an injury, paving the way for the National Capital Region (NCR) to retain the secondary girls volleyball crown in the 2026 Palarong Pambansa in Agusan del Sur on Saturday, May 30.

NCR rallied from a set down to beat NIR, 22-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-18, and successfully defended its title in the high school girls volleyball tournament.

Representing Bacolod Tay Tung High School, NIR appeared poised to challenge the defending champions after capturing the opening set.

However, the momentum shifted late in the frame when Almendralejo, one of the team’s key offensive weapons, went down while attempting an attack.

The standout hitter was immediately attended to before being rushed to a hospital.

She was unable to return to the match, leaving NIR without one of its primary scorers for the remainder of the finals.

Despite losing its top player, NIR continued to compete hard against the NCR side, which is bannered by athletes from National University Nazareth School.

The defending champions capitalized on the absence of Almendralejo, taking command in the second set before maintaining control in the next two frames.

NCR dominated the second set to even the match, then gradually wore down the undermanned NIR squad in the third and fourth sets to seal the victory and secure another gold medal.

The championship marked NCR’s second straight title after also defeating Bacolod Tay Tung High School, then competing under the Western Visayas banner, in last year’s final in Ilocos Norte.

For NIR, the silver-medal finish was a strong showing, but the loss of Almendralejo proved to be a significant hurdle against a seasoned NCR team that seized the opportunity to complete a successful title defense./ASC, WDJ