By MARK REY MONTEJO
The La Salle Lady Spikers have been on a roll this UAAP Season 88, having completed a mighty 14-game sweep of the double-round elims and are now a win away from what could be the school’s sweetest title conquest since joining the league in 1986.
And if everything falls into place in the next contest, for sure, this year’s batch of La Salle women’s volleyball team would be praised to high heavens. Glorified.
For coach Ramil de Jesus – the architect behind the school’s rise as a certified superpower – this could also be perfect time to redeem himself. And it’s a must.
After also advancing outright to the 2014 Finals via a 14-game sweep, De Jesus and his Lady Spikers were ambushed by no less than their bitter rivals in Ateneo Lady Eagles in their best-of-three finals.
It was crushing. The pain was deeply felt.
That memory lingers on and the scar of the painful loss was simply too hard to be removed.
And the toner for that is to win this year’s crown by a perfect 16-0 score.
Prior to their Game 1 straight-set win over reigning champion National University, the Lady Spikers had fallen short of the title in the last two seasons, especially in Season 87, where they were dismantled by the Lady Bulldogs, who ultimately secured their back-to-back titles.
It forced La Salle out of the “Promised Land” after their Season 85 triumph three years ago, the title that ended a long drought after several years of waiting as both NU and Ateneo took turns dominating, while the COVID-19 pandemic also halted league action for two years.
Before their title futility, the Lady Spikers had delivered their third three-peat from Season 78 to 80 with Kim Kianna Dy, Majoy Baron, Kim Fajardo, Tin Tiamzon, Desiree Cheng, and Dawn Macandili, to name a few, at the forefront.
Then in earlier seasons the likes of Iris Ortega, Desiree Hernandez, Maureen Penetrante, Manilla Santos, Jacq Alarca, Aby Maraño, Cha Cruz, Arah Galang, and Michele Gumabao, among others took charge in different eras and delivered eight diadems.
That includes their 2004 campaign where the Lady Spikers became the first-ever volleyball squad to accomplish a double-robin sweep and secure an outright title before Final Four structure was adjusted if a team goes undefeated in the elimination.
Most of their runs during those years were nearly perfect, especially in Seasons 73, 74, and 75, where they suffered just one loss in each installment.
With that being said, if La Salle prevails in Game 2 this Saturday, May 9, at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, this would be the school’s first “Sweet 16.”
Aside from the rare season achievement most recently attained by the Lady Bulldogs in Season 84, the Lady Spikers will exact their revenge on NU after years of giving the Green and White a
hard time in the past years.
And those factors could make this title win even sweeter than ever for De Jesus and the Lady Spikers.
And it’s up for Angel Canino, Shane Reterta, Shevana Laput, Amie Provido, and Eshana Nunag to respond and rise to the occasion.
“Gusto ko talagang matapos itong season na magandang maganda, ‘Andaming nangyari, no’ng Season 86 and 87, gustong gusto namin makabawi,” said Canino.
“Ako very patient with myself and my teammates. I think isa ‘yon sa nagdadala sa amin papuntang championship, ‘di lang basta skill ang kailangan sa loob ng court, kundi pa’no namin dalhin ‘yong sarili namin para matapos ng maganda ‘tong season na ‘to,” she added.
