Roller-coaster season ends with title for De La Salle
SEASON 79 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) was not an easy one for the De La Salle Lady Spikers, so to end it all with another women’s volleyball title made it all the more special.
Led their best-of-three finals series with rivals Ateneo Lady Eagles, 1-0, entering Game Two last Saturday, the Taft-based spikers made sure there would not be any rubber match by surviving and hacking out a gutsy five-set victory, 19-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18 and 15-10, in the clincher that secured for them back-toback titles.
The championship was the 10th overall for La Salle, all under legendary coach Ramil De Jesus in two decades with the school, and fourth title in the last six years.
Considering that the team in Season 79 was not their deepest compared to other years, Mr. De Jesus could not help but highlight the significance of their latest championship.
“Of all the teams I formed, this was the most roller-coaster [team I must say]. We had a shallow bench compared to previous years and it was really hard to find a player who can come in and steadily contribute. But the players believed we could do it as team and persevered. I’m very happy with this championship,” said Mr. De Jesus in the post- Game Two press conference.
“We started the season raw and it showed in our performance in the elimination round. But we learned from our mistakes there. We concentrated in training and I explained to them what we needed to do. It was not easy and the players really had to work hard,” added the La Salle coach, whose team turned the tables on Ateneo, which swept in the two-round classification phase.
KEY PLAYERS DELIVERING
In the title-clinching Game Two, La Salle’s key players delivered anew and towed their team to the title.
Kim Dy led all scorers with 19 points, 15 of which coming off spikes, followed by Tin Tiamzon with 16.
Desiree Cheng finished with 12 points while Season 79 most valuable player Majoy Baron had 10.
Graduating player Kim Fajardo and Aduke Ogunsanya each had six markers while the former added 43 excellent sets.
For her consistent play in the finals, Cheng, who missed last season’s tournament, was adjudged the MVP.
Ateneo, meanwhile, was paced by Michelle Morente’s 16 points. Jhoana Maraguinot and Bea De Leon added 14 each.
Setter Jia Morado had six points to go along with 53 excellent sets. Morado, however, could have played her last UAAP game as she made it known later that she was foregoing her final year of eligibility after suiting up for the Lady Eagles for four years.
GIVE 100%
Champions anew in UAAP women’s volleyball, Mr. De Jesus pointed to their system anchored on a lot of hard work and discipline as key.
“I think what is doing it for us is the system that we have. We always tell the players the value of hard work and discipline. We tell them to give their 100% each time and good things will follow,” said the coach.
He also paid tribute to their setter Fajardo, who played her last game with the green and white.
“She was an inspiration to her teammates all season long. Kim Fajardo is one of the best players to have played for La Salle. It will be hard to replace her,” Mr. De Jesus said.
The La Salle coach said they will first savor their latest championship before getting back to the work of preparing and developing players who will carry the cudgels for them in the coming seasons.