THE Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association  officially opens its 56th season this Saturday at Makati Coliseum, with host Assumption College-San Lorenzo promising a grand and festive start.

The opening ceremony begins at 10 a.m., featuring all 16 participating schools, followed by three highly anticipated basketball matchups in the afternoon. Assumption College-San Lorenzo will face sister school Assumption Antipolo at 1 p.m., while the University of Santo Tomas-Angelicum College takes on St. Jude Catholic School at 2:30 p.m., both in the juniors division.

The seniors division will see Centro Escolar University aiming for a 13th consecutive title against University of Makati at 4 p.m.

Action continues on Sunday with the start of the volleyball tournament at St. Scholastica’s College-Manila gym, basketball 3×3 (midgets division only) at Makati Coliseum, and futsal at St. Paul College Pasig.

Other participating schools include Chiang Kai Shek College, La Salle College Antipolo, De La Salle Zobel, Miriam College, Philippine Women’s University, St. Stephen’s High School, San Beda College Alabang, and the University of Asia & the Pacific.

As the country’s first and only tri-level league for women, the WNCAA also features competitions in chess, badminton, swimming, taekwondo, poomsae, table tennis, tennis, cheer dance/cheerleading, and street dance.

This year’s season carries the theme “Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies.” Sr. Irene Cecile Torres, president of Assumption College, highlighted the league’s mission, saying, “We take pride in elevating the role of women not just in sports, but in their overall being.”

Last season’s overall champions were Assumption Antipolo (midgets), De La Salle Zobel (juniors), and Centro Escolar University (seniors).