The seniors' division of the UAAP Season 71 volleyball tournaments opened December 6, 2008. Tournament host will be Far Eastern University. Tournament games will be at the Far Eastern University Gym and The Arena in San Juan. The juniors' division tournaments were held on the first semester of the 2008-09 school year; the UE Pages and the UST Lady Tiger Cubs won all of their elimination round games in their respective divisions to clinch the championship outright. In the men's tournament, the UST Growling Tigers also won all of their elimination round games but went through the usual the Final Four format; they beat Ateneo in three straight sets in the semifinals to formalize their entry to the Finals; they then swept the UP Fighting Maroons 2–0 in the best-of-3 Finals series without losing a set to have an immaculate 17–0 Season 71 record to successfully defend their championship. In the women's tournament, the FEU Lady Tamaraws and La Salle Lady Archers emerged on top of the standings and beat their semifinals opponents to meet in the Finals. FEU overcame UST Tigresses which gave them their opening day loss, while La Salle beat the Adamson Lady Falcons in a rematch of their third-place playoff in the Shakey's V-League. FEU and La Salle split their elimination round games, with La Salle winning over FEU in the second round's last game to wrest the #1 seed away from the Lady Tamaraws who had held it all tournament long. After winning Game 1 in five sets, FEU lost the next two games in four sets to award La Salle their fifth UAAP women's volleyball championship.

Men's tournament

Elimination round

With UST's 14–0 sweep of the tournament, they were supposed to receive at least an automatic Finals berth but instead will go through the usual Final Four phase with the release of the playoffs schedule.

Team standings

Tiebreakers:

Schedule

Bracket

<section begin="Men's bracket" /><section end="Men's bracket" />

Third-seed playoff

Semifinals

UST vs. Ateneo

!colspan=10|UST advances to the Finals

La Salle vs. UP

!colspan=10|UP advances to the Finals

Finals

!colspan=10|UST wins series 2–0

Awards

Women's tournament

Elimination round

Team standings

Schedule

Bracket

<section begin="Women's bracket" /><section end="Women's bracket" />

Third-seed playoff

Semifinals

La Salle vs. Adamson

!colspan=10|La Salle advances to the Finals

FEU vs. UST

!colspan=10|FEU advances to the Finals

Finals

!colspan=10|La Salle wins series 2–1

Awards

Boys' tournament

With UE sweeping the elimination round, they were declared automatic champions and the playoffs were scrapped.

Elimination round

Team standings

Last game of the eliminations

Awardees

Girls' tournament

With UST sweeping the elimination round, they were declared automatic champions and the playoffs were scrapped.

Elimination round

Awardees