LEARN from the loss and move on.
Ateneo de Manila star Alyssa Valdez said their three straight-sets loss to De La Salle on Saturday should be a wake-up call for the defending Lady Eagles, who were denied of sweeping the first round of Season 78 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball.
Valdez still flashed a smile minutes after the Lady Spikers posted a 25-22, 25-14, 25-18 victory that ended their 24-game winning streak dating back Season 76.
“We all hope that it was a really good learning experience for us. That it becomes extra motivation and inspiration for us to train hard and to be at our best every time,” said Valdez, the two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player.
“We just have to stay focused, be happy again, and enjoy all the game we’re having this coming second round. Hopefully, we could make it to the Final Four,” she added
Valdez struggled in the most anticipated match with only 11 hits on 10-of-33 percentage attacks, and the three-time UAAP Best Scorer knew that time will come their winning run will end.
And it did on Saturday, at the hands of their archrivals, but Valdez believed that the loss would only make them better come next round.
“It’s [streak] meant to be broken,” she said. “But then if we’re not gonna experience something like this, how can we manage to get up and be on our feet again?”
“It was a good run, but maybe it really had to stop and try to make another one,” she added.
Valdez said the challenge now is how to turn this setback as extra motivation in their bid for a three-peat.
For the past two seasons the tournament had an outright finalist and had to go through the stepladder semifinals, but the loss of Ateneo means a Final Four will happen this season.
The Lady Eagles remained on top with a 6-1 win-loss card, while just beneath them are the Lady Spikers (5-1) from Taft Avenue.
Valdez knows that matches in the second round will be much tougher, as teams are peaking at that time.
“It’s just the start for every team because it’s the first round, the second round is gonna be different because everyone’s scouting and everyone played with each other, so let’s see what’s gonna happen next round,” she said. “Hopefully it’s gonna be better for our team and for every team.”