DE LA SALLE was so close of reclaiming the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP women’s volleyball crown before Ateneo de Manila made the improbable comeback to force a winner-take-all Game Three on Saturday.
The Lady Spikers won the first two sets of Game Two on Wednesday at the jampacked Mall of Asia Arena but the Lady Eagles, behind their super senior Alyssa Valdez, stormed back and pulled the rug under their chief rivals for a come-from-behind 18-25, 26-28, 25-17, 25-16, 15-11 win.
No La Salle players granted an interview to the media including Head Coach Rami de Jesus but the school’s athletic director, Nonong Calanog, shared his sentiments on the Lady Spikers’ downfall in Game Two.
“Looking at the loss there’s no other way but to play Game Three,” said Calanog, who admitted that the defeat was not only about the meltdown of the La Salle but it’s more on the desire of Ateneo to stay alive and defend their crown.
“There might have been some sort of relaxing but you cannot also take away Ateneo’s fight at the time so it’s the matter of who wanted it more at that point in time,” he added. “If you look at the last three sets, it may not have been nag-relax but it may have been Ateneo wanting it more.”
La Salle was just a set away from winning the Season 78 crown and sweeping the defending champions after taking the first two sets. But the Taft-based squad lost steam and failed to stop the momentum of the Lady Eagles led by the heroics of three-time Most Valuable Player Valdez.
But despite the loss, Calanog said that the players and coaches remained optimistic heading into the rubber match as they have moved on from the bitter loss and vow to give it all in Game Three to bring back the glory to Taft.
“Surprisingly they’re upbeat,” Calanog said. “Kasi nung nag-uusap silang lahat parang they don’t want to put their years of hard work down to grave so for them there’s really nothing you can do but to go back and play see kung san tayo nagkulang and then make sure we don’t do that next game and hopefully, make the adjustment.”
Image credits: Nonie Reyes