Bacolodnon Salarzon commits to Ateneo men’s volley team
BACOLOD City – Bacolodnon volleybal l standout J i an Matthew Salarzon is set to fulfill his dream to be part of Ateneo de Manila University’s men’s volleyball team.
The 6- foot- 2 open hitter said it was a mutual interest between him and the Blue Eagles, which has been eyeing the Bacolod City native three year ago following his Palarong Pambansa stint.
“I was being recruited by Ateneo since Grade 9. They saw me when I was playing for Western Visayas’ team in the Palarong Pambansa. They were very persistent until I committed,” Salarzon told Panay News on Sunday.
“They expressed pure
intention in recruiting me and I know they’ll exceed my expectations,” he added. “Ateneo is a prestigious school and dream ko talaga makapasok sa system nila.”
“This is not just about their sports program but it is also my dream to attain an Atenean diploma. Alam naman ng lahat kung gaano kaganda academic and sports program ng Ateneo,” he further said.
The 18- year- old Salarzon was a former standout of Living Stones International School under head coach Michael Larroza and represented Western Visayas in various tournaments before.
Salarzon also had a fitting exit with the LSIS recently as he played a key role in the school’s championship run in the Mayor JPT “New Normal” Volleyball Invitational in Iloilo
and VolleyPrep men’s volleyball event in Aklan.
“Actually, kinakabahan din ako dahil panibagong environment uli sa Ateneo and mag-a- adjust ako sa system nila but I am very grateful for the opportunities that opened up for me,” Salarzon said.
“Hopefully, I can perform well and exceed din t hei r expectations sa akin. UAAP is also very competitive. I’ll surely work hard and not waste this opportunity,” he added./