DE LA Salle was early to realize the extremely competitive field in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.
As the team went 4-2 late in the first round, National University was looking formidable with a perfect 4-0 record, Far Eastern University and Ateneo were then locked in a tie in third spot while Adamson University was also doing well.
The Lady Spikers’ 18-25, 25-15, 19-25, 22-25 loss to the Lady Falcons last Feb. 24 served as a reminder that it simply takes hardwork to remain on top.
“Very hard kasi start ng elimination shaky ‘yung team e. Twice kami natalo so, yun ang sinasabi ko sa kanila, ‘pag nag-start ang season ‘di naman tayo masyadong ready,” said De La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus.
After that rough patch that they encountered, the Lady Spikers went on a rampage, winning 11 straight games to annex their 11th crown overall.
“Sa haba ng season, naayos namin kung ano ‘yung naging problema ng team. Ready naman sila na maayos ang sarili nila,” said De Jesus.
In the playoffs, De La Salle never yielded a set, sweeping National University in the Final Four and Far Eastern University twice in the Finals.
Everything went on La Salle’s way this season with a relatively injury-free campaign, which keyed its championship run.
Next season will be a new beginning for the Lady Spikers, who will miss Finals MVP libero Dawn Macandili, Kim Kianna Dy and Majoy Baron to graduation.
With transferee Michelle Morente being a new offensive option and CJ Saga possibly filling the huge shoes left by Macandili in keeping the ball flying, De La Salle is in great shape to achieve a four-peat which has eluded the Taft-based squad in the first two tries.
Aside from Morente, Desiree Cheng, Tin Tiamzon and May Luna will still be the vital cogs on offense, while Aduke Ogunsanya will now be the main girl in the middle in lieu of Baron and setter Michelle Cobb having gained the needed experience in orchestrating plays.