By MARK REY MONTEJO
With so many narratives – not to mention the behind-the-scenes drama and sacrifices – the 13th title of the mighty La Salle Lady Spikers in the UAAP women’s volleyball will be cherished for the years to come.
It was all-embracing, powerful and very sweet.
Greatest team ever for La Salle? That’s debatable and intriguing.
But one thing is sure, this batch is one of greatest teams ever to play not only for La Salle but for the entire league.
Right after winning their opening game in convincing fashion, the Lady Spikers – Angel Canino in particular – declared their mission right away – bring the championship back to Taft at all costs.
And they did with the panache of a true champion to become only the third school in league history to win the championship via a 16-game sweep.
The masterclass win before 22,509-strong fans inside Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City Saturday, May 9, covered everything, including the revenge and redemption factors.
For dethroning the National University Lady Bulldogs in two games, the Lady Spikers avenged their title losses in Season 84 and Season 87.
“Itong season na ‘to, kasi, it’s more on sa hard work namin and sa sacrifices namin na ginawa talaga lahat ng mga coaches, lahat ng staff, lahat ng mga players. Tiyaka hugot din, kasi, marami kaming personal na pinagdadaanan din,” said Canino.
More than that, they finally exorcised the ghost of 2014 Finals heartbreak, a defeat that caused so much pain to the team, especially coach Ramil de Jesus.
In that year, the Lady Spikers toppled their rivals one after another in the first round and repeated it in the second round to complete a 14-game sweep, a feat that catapulted them to the Finals outright.
But things went awry along the way.
Led by the Alyssa “The Phenom” Valdez, the Ateneo Lady Eagles ambushed the Lady Spikers. And when the dust of the battle settled, the Lady Eagles celebrated in football-like atmosphere – high in energy and enthusiasm.
And the Lady Spikers? They were totally heartbroken – their pride shattered.
But with their “Sweet 16” triumph, all the 2014 Finals heartaches vanished into thin air and the scars removed and cleared miraculously.
But their journey back to the summit was without troubles.
“Actually napakahirap, kasi first round palang andami na naming struggles, tapos laging may wala sa team… ‘yon isa mga pinagdaanan ng team,” said de Jesus.
“Sabi ko ‘to ‘yong mga challenges na kailangan naming pagdaanan. Kaya sabi ko baka mag-champion tayo kasi andaming trials eh,” he added. “So ‘yong recovery isa rin sa problema namin, nagpapasalamat ako na natapos ‘yong season na walang nangyari samin, na healthy sila.”
Not only healthy – they were super happy especially for Shevana Laput who emerged as Finals MVP, what with her awesome performance in the team’s title clinching 25-22, 25-16, 25-16 win in Game 2.
“We made a promise at the beginning of this season, and this is us fulfilling that promise. Thank you La Salle community for believing in us from day one. We thank the Lord for the gifts and talents He gave to us,” said Laput. “We thank our coaches for believing in us every step of the way.”
“For us we were sure, for us we knew that we got this, we manifested it, but more than that, we worked hard for it,” the Filipino-Australian hitter added.
