Santos-Ng teases possible volleyball return

MANILA, Philippines — Is Manilla Santos-Ng making a comeback?

Santos-Ng, the legendary spiker from De La Salle University, shocked fans when she posted a couple of videos and photos of her training with Creamline in preparation for the upcoming season of the Premier Volleyball League.

Speculations about her return reached fever pitch when Creamline spiker Fille Cayetano disclosed that the reason behind her continuous training is because her ultimate goal is to play in the professional league, which could either be the PVL or the Philippine Superliga.

But playing for the Cool Smashers makes a lot of sense because her husband is a ranking executive in the marketing department of Rebisco, the mother company of Creamline.

Cayetano, however, admitted that she has zero idea on Santos’ possible return.

“I’m not sure about her return,” Cayetano said in an interview. “I think she wants to play professional volleyball because she didn’t have the chance during her time.”
“I think her goal is to join a professional league.”

Santos-Ng is a revered figure in the La Salle sports community.

After joining the solid core of Maureen Penetrante, Desiree Hernandez, Carissa Gotis, Chie Saet and Miles Penano in taking the league by storm, she suffered a massive heartbreak when the school was suspended in 2006.

The following year, the league slapped the Lady Spikers with yet another penalty due to technicality, prompting them to finish sixth in the final standings.

But it didn’t crush Santos-Ng.

She stormed back the following year to lead the Lady Spikers to the title and emerge as Most Valuable Player, paving the way for the school to immortalize her by retiring her jersey no. 14 next to other legends such as Kurt Bachmann, Lim Eng Beng and Renren Ritualo of basketball.

In a Facebook comment, Santos-Ng finally broke her silence, saying that it all depends on her conditioning.

“I really want (to play that’s why I’m training with the team,” said the comely spiker who is now a mother of two and a professional makeup artist.

“But then again, it depends if I can make it. We can’t force it if I really can’t make it.”

Making a return isn’t new in volleyball.

Iris Ortega-Patrona, the powerful open spiker who led La Salle to its first University Athletic Association title in 2003, made a comeback via Cocolife, which is now known as United VC, couple of years ago.

The same goes for University of Santo Tomas legend Venus Bernal, who took a break from her corporate job in a water company, to join Cignal in its quest for title.

This time, it could be Santos-Ng’s turn to make a comeback.

It, however, depends on how quickly she can get back in shape.