DLSU’s win against ADMU UAAP Season 75 Women's Volleyball Finals Game 1 led to a Personal Drama with my Family
"Remember, DLSU is the team to beat in Women’s Volleyball. Defeating them takes a lot of uphill struggle. I'm just saying..."
Last Sunday (Feb. 24) pa lang,
nakareserve na ang 3pm na pag-uwi ko from a practice in Vigan City sa aming
house yesterday (March 2) para maabutan ko ang live TV telecast ng Game 1 of
the UAAP Season 75 Women’s Volleybal Finals.
It’s pretty obvious that I’m a De
La Salle University Lady Spikers’ fan ever since the era of Manilla “Illa”
Santos. Grabe ang pagkabilib ko kay Illa nun kasi pamatay ang mga spikes niya
na hindi mo aakalain dahil sa height niya. Nung last playing year na niya,
nagchampion ang DLSU at naging MVP pa siya. I was so happy yet sad because I
knew that was her last. She needed to leave. Dun ko rin nakita ang pag-usbong
ni Cha Cruz.
I really miss Illa, mas lalo na
ngayon. Anyways, back to the main topic……
My classmates would ask me, “Bakit
maaga kang uuwi?” I didn’t answer them. I don’t know if you could imagine how
anxious I was getting back home at 4pm. It turned out, I was in time. So much
so that the Game 1 of Men’s Volleyball Finals was still in its 4th
set. While waiting, I turned my attention on working with my younger sister’s
requirement (it's a powerpoint presentation about The Girl on Fire and since i was
the one doing it, I included the DLSU Lady Spikers as the Girls on Fire in
Women's Volleyball in the country right now). I was just in front of the laptop
as I took occasional glimpses to the TV. I’m pretty good at multitasking
because I’ve done it several times.
I was so relax throughout the whole
week when I had to wait. Minutes before the most-awaited game started, I asked
my father, who is also a DLSU fan, “Pa, sino ang bet mong manalo?” Ayaw niyang
sumagot ng matino. Sinabi lang niya, “Kung anong team ang mananalo.”
Sumabat ang kapatid ko kung bakit
ayaw ni Papa talaga na magsabi kung sa DLSU ba siya o ADMU. She said that I
just wanted an argument in case Papa was for Ateneo. At the start of Set 1, I
didn’t know why I was so rattled. The score was very close. I was beginning to
have a bad hunch.
But before going further, many
predicted that the Lady Spikers will win its 3rd straight
championship this year and 8th championship in the last 14 years. Most
of what I’ve read from news articles and posts from different social networking
sites around the net, give DLSU the edge. Noel Zarate (Yahoo) even coined the
Lady Spikers as a Legion of Doom in Women’s Volleyball, saying that of the 13-1
record of DLSU in the eliminations, they will not lose anymore especially in
the Finals even if it would be against Ateneo. Thus, they will make it all the
way to their 3peat.
Yes, the back-to-back Champion is really
hard to beat because as Noel Zarate said, their presence alone in the court is
already intimidating. They just have to show up in their game and play. They
just have the depth, experience, firepower, skill, team work, intelligence, endurance
and heart of a certified CHAMPION that even if their opponent is up by two
sets, things would turn around and then, they would win the game. Of course, DLSU
only had very few 5-sets games and those were against very tough teams. During
those times, they would still emerge victorious.
I’m not from La Salle. That’s the
beauty of it because I get to see the view of people who aren’t in the inner circle.
I can say that aside from the extreme support of the La Salle students/alumni, people
like me, never fails to believe in this team because DLSU truly DOMINATES. The
great line-up that they have every year….it’s very consistent. When one has to
graduate, there’s always someone there to fill that missing piece. The
magnificent ERAS are on continuous roll for DLSU.
Back to Game 1….I just didn’t like
the fact that the Lady Spikers had many errors in the first set (and the whole
Game 1). I was confused because I knew that’s not how they PLAY! It was like I
was watching a whole new different team. Ara Galang was not making her usual
points…and then I was quite disappointed with Wensh Tiu for her errors. Aby
MaraÑo, Michelle Gumabao, Mika Reyes,
Mika Esperanza were off. Lady Eagles took the first set 25-20.
Ateneo pulled away more and ended
Set 2 with a 25-17 win. This was the time when I was very furious with my
Father because he was already telling me that Ateneo would win the game. For
you to see a clearer picture, whenever I’m watching a Lady Spikers game, I’m
just super jumpy and loud. I would cheer at the top of my lungs and become
oblivious of everything and everyone around me. But at that point when I heard
those words by my father, this was what came into my mind as a reply, “Basta, I
have faith in them. They can still make it. Hindi matatalo ang La Salle ng
ganyan lang kahit na lamang ang Ateneo ng 2 sets to none. It’s not yet over
until it’s OVER!”
Grabe lang ang fighting spirit ko
given na ang tahimik ko na talaga sa aking upuan. It was painful to see how
happy the Ateneo fans were while those in green were incredibly silent. I knew
that the Lady Eagles fans already had in their mind that they’re gonna win the
first game.
If you’re a TRUE DLSU Lady Spikers
fan, you would never lose hope. We know that they’re not gonna let it go. They’re
the IT in Women’s Volleyball. Lo and behold…..They had a huge comeback as they
take the last three sets and win the Game 1 of the Finals against Ateneo (25-22,
25-22, 15-6). Isa ako sa mga nagdilang-anghel. Favorite number ko ang 22. Dun
napako ang Ateneo sa Set 3 and 4. (This reminds me of what happened during
their first meeting last January. Ateneo was up by 2 sets to none but they eventually
won 3 Sets to 2.)
What made the difference? Nakagawa
na sila ng adjustments sa biglang pagiging quicker ni Alyssa Valdez (Lady
Eagles) from being an open spiker/hitter. They found the solution to that
problem. Ara, Michelle, Aby, Mika Reyes, Melissa Gohing finally started to
bring out their A-game…Ara with those attacks. I love her. She’s only a
sophomore but she’s just a monster beyond her years in volleyball. Aby, being
the Captain….I saw that she really led the team…with Michelle and Mika Reyes,
the trio are unstoppable in blocking. They were definitely back. Melissa Gohing
game was plainly TREMENDOUS. Buwis buhay talaga, as in. Kahit nasa courtside
na, sige pa rin ang habol sa bola. That reminds me, akala ko eh nainjured na si
Ara nung hinabol din niya yung bola one time. Nag-alala tuloy ako. Pero
infairness, nakiki-Libero na rin si Ara. All around talaga. Napansin ko lang
din, napalitan lahat ng players si Ara lang ang hindi. Grabe ang stamina ng
batang ito. Second year pa lang pero ang laro, veteran na veteran na talaga.
Imagine na lang kung off ang game niya, sino ang papalit sa kanya para punan
ang pwesto niya? Buti na lang at bonggang-bongga ang laro niya in, if not all,
most of her games. Partida na yan.
On the other hand……..Si Wensh Tiu
na hindi ko gaanong naramdaman, pinalitan ni Cyd Demecillo. Nagkaka-error din
si Cyd pero nung sa mga huling part na especially nung Set 5, bumawi siya ng
bongga. Nanghinayang lang ako for Wensh kasi it’s her last playing year like
Melissa Gohing. Supposed to be, maganda ang laro niya. Pero malay natin, baka
bumawi siya sa Game 2 on Wednesday (March 6). Si Mika Esperanza naman, si Kim
Fajardo ang pumalit sa kanya. Sayang kasi off yung laro ni Mika E. Mas bet ko
siya kaysa kay Kim. Still, it is an advantage to DLSU dahil parehong magaling
na setter sina Mika E. at Kim. Kaya kung off yung isa, at least, may isang
reserve.
I almost cried when DLSU won. Sabi
ko sa family ko (my parents and my younger sister were watching with me), “Pwede
na kayong magsalita at mag-ingay.” I became irritated because they were like
jinxing the game especially during the last three sets and after people thought
it was Ateneo’s game. I didn’t want that. I told them to keep their mouth shut
until it was over. By that time, I saw a glimmer of hope. I was not wrong.
I let out a huge sigh of relief. Michelle
was the Player of the Game with 15 points, Mika Reyes also had 15 and Aby had
11. The highest scorer for DLSU is also the highest scorer for the team in this
Season, Ara with 17 points. For me, Melissa should have been the POG or Ara. If
Ara was the POG, it would be her sixth. That would have been great news to me. I
desperately want her to be this Season’s MVP or Finals’ MVP.
In the blue side, there were only
two players who scored in double digits.
What do I feel right now, I’m
ECSTATIC. That was so CLOSE. Eventually, La Salle prevailed. If you ask me
about my prediction on Game 2 or if there would be a Game 3….IMO DLSU will win
it hopefully in the first three sets (The scenario will be like their second
meeting during the elimination on February 9, when they drew a record-setting
19,000 head count. They massacred the Lady Eagles 3 Sets to none). Ateneo will,
again, make it uneasy for DLSU. With that answer, I’m not even thinking of Game
3.
Regarding the DRAMA here at home,
well, I think there will be a Part 2 on Wednesday. Given that the Game 1 drew
an estimated 17,000 people in the Smart Araneta Coliseum, ewan ko lang baka
mahigitan yan sa Game 2 pero di ko lang alam kung maabutan niya yung
record-setting 19,000 the head count nung February 9.
Related links:
- UAAP Women’s Volleyball: The dream scenario, Ateneo vs. La Salle v2.0 (Part 2 of 2)
- La Salle Rallies to Beat Ateneo in Game 1 of UAAP Women’s Volleyball Finals
- La Salle shoots down Ateneo in UAAP women’s volley finals game one - See more at: http://sports.inquirer.net/89295/la-salle-claws-back-to-stun-ateneo-in-uaap-womens-volley-finals-game-one#sthash.roULjG17.dpuf
- La Salle stuns Ateneo with Game 1 comeback
- UAAP: Ateneo crumbles in the endgame to give La Salle Game 1 of the women's volleyball finals
- COMPLETED COMEBACK: DLSU LADY SPIKERS TAKE GAME ONE AGAINST ATENEO
- Deja vu: La Salle comes back to shock Ateneo
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