JAU Umandal’s love for volleyball resurrected after stepping away from the court for six months. The 28-year-old Umandal admitted that his motivation for the game diminished and was not the same as before — but he was glad that he joined the young VNS (Volleyball Never Stops) Griffins squad, where he rediscovered his passion for the sport once again. Umandal, a 2024 PNVF Men’s Champions League Most Valuable Player (MVP) and a four-time MVP in Spikers’ Turf, assisted VNS in scoring its first win in the 2026 Invitational Conference after a 30-28, 25-20, 25-21 sweep of AFP. “I stepped away for some time. I lost my willingness and my patience, and now, joining this team, I realized a lot. I realized that I am just like them back then, dreaming and trying,” he told the media in Filipino. “I am happy that it all returned; that’s why I am thankful that I was given a chance. I am happy for this opportunity.” Umandal formerly headlined the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup lineup for Alas men, and is a co-captain with Marck Espejo. This time, Umandal is leading a younger group in the local league, and his experience is much needed. “My experience has also expanded too because I am working with a younger generation. We know that there’s a lot to work on, but we train very hard in training so that they can also keep up with the veterans," said Umandal, who was formerly one of the key cogs of the now-defunct Cignal HD Spikers. He was part of the historic silver finish at the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held in Manila, and he also became one of the team’s anchors in the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. He also became the third Filipino men's volleyball player of his generation to secure a professional contract overseas when he signed with Bani Jamra in the Isa bin Rashid Volleyball League in 2022. Umandal, now leading the VNS grassroots team, embraces a new challenge in passing on all the knowledge that he picked up in his years of experience in volleyball.