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BLUE EAGLE THE QUEEN!

by Reuel R. Hermoso / August 15, 2019

They weren’t given much of a chance when Season 81 began.

Despite having the most formidable frontline ever in women’s volleyball in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines, the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles were at best considered a low-end placer in the Final Four. Most pundits already conceded that the defending three-peat champions from Season 80, the De La Salle Lady Spikers, were finally going to give coach Ramil de Jesus that elusive four-peat – something that has evaded him and his team three times already. In Season 81, it appeared that, finally, this rare sporting feat was within their grasp.

In their opening match of the season against the Lady Spikers, the Lady Eagles could muster just a set against the defending champs in a 25-14, 25-17, 16-25, 25-19 defeat. This shortfall would be replicated in the second of two elimination rounds of the season on an even more disappointing scale when La Salle handily swept them in straight sets.

Meantime, an erstwhile dominatrix of UAAP volleyball was beginning to stir from a decade-long hibernation – the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses were racking up win after win especially in the second round. And no win was bigger than that of their second-round elims matchup when they beat the defending champion Lady Spikers 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19. This after the Lady Spikers showed their championship poise and swag in their first-round elims game, taking from the Golden Tigresses three straight sets after the ladies from España shocked the defending champs in the first set to tame the Tigresses 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 26-24.

But even in that first-round meeting, it was quite evident that UST would prove to be the bane of the defending champions. That deciding fourth set in their Round 1 encounter came down to a race to 26 after the Tigresses tied the set at 24-all. The Taft ladies led by captain Desiree Cheng and the other Des – Lourdes Clemente – had to conspire through service aces and excellent net defense on upcoming Tigress sensation Eya Laure to be able to finally seal the match. Rookie gigil – the Tagalog term for wanting to do too much too soon along with a pumped-up adrenalin and a sign of youthful overeagerness and immaturity, traits that she will most certainly soon outgrow – characterized Eya’s play in the end-game, attacking the defense of Des Clemente at the top of the net but being thwarted by a game-winning kill block.

As fate would have it, meanwhile, the Lady Eagles began stretching their wings once again, going on a spectacular winning run in the first and second rounds, beating every opponent – except the defending champs. In the usual exchange of oneupmanship, La Salle fans and alumni may take cold comfort in the fact that the new champions never won against the former champs. But there’s really no such thing as an asterisk championship – a crown is a crown is a crown. As any diehard would say, “I’ll take a win any time – whether it’s by one point or 100 points!” Ateneo fans and alumni would be happy to take the grand prize either way. And who knows? Things could have been different in the finals had the Green and Blue been the protagonists.

Providence had other plans, however, and by the time the second round of eliminations rolled around, the now-former champs were slowly disrobed by the higher-tier teams – being exposed as a mere shell of their former volleyball powerhouse glory, and in dramatic fashion beginning with their match against the erstwhile perennial cellar-dwellers, the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons. Under international mentor Godfrey Okumo, the Lady Maroons were gradually transformed from one of the league’s doormats to a steady powerhouse Final Four contender for two straight seasons now. Unfortunately, though, they’ve just fallen short of landing a finals berth in the same period, despite the presence on the team of some of the best non-pro athletes the sport has seen – Kathy Bersola, Tots Carlos, Isa Molde, Bernadette Tiamson and Marian Buitre – who are among the top talents on the Lady Maroons roster.

Pundits believe it would be just a matter of time before the other Katipunan-based team finally makes it to the Big Dance, like their brothers on the UP men’s basketball team. They may be hampered by the departure since last year of an able net defender like Kathy Bersola and a reliable open hitter like Bernadette Tiamson, but UP’s recruitment efforts are, according to observers, now running at par with those of Ateneo and La Salle. Expect some hidden rubies to emerge brightly in the coming seasons for the Lady Maroons. Distinguished international coach Fabio Menta is also helping out with the UP Integrated School Girl Maroons in the girl’s division, and has brought some very important lessons in modernizing the game for the girls in the crucial formative years of junior and senior high school.

Still, even with its impressive but futile performance in the last two seasons, UP showed that it’s here to stay – in the Olympus of women’s volleyball, among the best of the best in its league. And nowhere was this most evident than in the Lady Maroons’ 6-2 sweep in sets this season of the three-peat champ Lady Spikers. Round 1 saw both teams dragging each other to a death match fifth set, which the Lady Maroons took. In Round 2, the Lady Maroons swept the defending champions, and established their place in the country’s pantheon of women’s volleyball, and, by extension, lending credence to the observation by not a few pundits that it would be difficult for the defending champions to successfully defend their crown – if they even get to the finals in the first place.

This observation was also bolstered by La Salle being manhandled not just by UP and UST, but also by the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws. Though they were handily beaten in straight sets by the title defenders in Round 1, the Lady Tams didn’t consider that a setback, stringing up consecutive wins in the remainder of the elims and losing only to Ateneo in Round 2. When they faced their first-round tormentors in the final game of the eliminations, the ladies of Morayta came back with a vengeance, defeating La Salle in a classic five-setter that could well be one of the best displays of volleyball ever seen.

Anchored on the steady stream of points from open hitters Jerillee Malabanan, Kyle Negrito and Heather Guino-o and backed up by rookie sensation Lycha Ebon, FEU effectively put the cuffs on the Lady Spikers’ chance at defending their crown with that pulsating victory because the latter would also go on to lose to UST in their subsequent game, creating a virtual twice-to-beat advantage for the latter going into the Final Four. (A win by La Salle would have given it the No. 2 spot at the end of eliminations and an important twice-to-beat advantage facing UST; instead, it was UST that secured that advantage courtesy of the FEU win, a victory that prompted the Tigresses and their fans to send some love – and merienda – over to the other corner at Morayta from España.)

In the end, the ladies of Taft were forced to give up their hold on the title when they lost two straight games to the Golden Tigresses in their Final Four matchup. In the second game of that series that could have gone three games had La Salle won it, the two teams dragged each other to a do-or-die fifth set as the ladies from España scored a spine-tingling 25-19, 25-19, 20-25, 23-25, 15-10 victory to end the defending champs’ three-year reign and again frustrate their four-peat bid. Dethroned in two straight games, the Lady Spikers sustained their worst finish in a decade. Archer captain Desiree Cheng bid the Green faithful a tearful goodbye, and so did her nickname-sake Des Clemente, a one-and-done transferee from the University of Perpetual Help System Daltas in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and another one-and-done star from the NCAA, Jolina dela Cruz, formerly of the Lyceum of the Philippines Lady Pirates.

The championship series was itself a match for the ages: old guard with a storied UAAP volleyball past, UST, against the come-lately Ateneo. The trophy tally is a veritable mismatch. Even combining their lone title when they were still with the NCAA, Ateneo is a babe-in-the-woods compared to UST, the Lady Eagles having only four titles (the last three in the UAAP, including this latest championship) and the Golden Tigresses a whopping 16 crowns! (NB: The FEU Lady Tamaraws remain at the top of the UAAP food chain with 29, repeat, 29 championships in women’s volleyball.)

Still, because of their recent successes, particularly in clinching three championships in the last six years, the Lady Eagles have achieved a level of fame that many teams elsewhere and in whatever event can only dream of. They have gained a devoted following that spans nearly two decades back to the days of Charo Soriano and Bea Pascual, a devotion that has grown to greater heights upon the entry of the so-called Fab Five – open hitter Fille Cainglet (now Cayetano), middle blocker Gretchen Ho, opposite hitter Dzi Gervacio, setter Jem Ferrer, and utility Aye Nacachi. But none boosted the Lady Eagles’ stock in the public eye more than the arrival of Alyssa Valdez – who has become practically the face of Philippine volleyball. Together with topnotch teammates – libero Denden Lazaro, open hitter Ella de Jesus, middle blocker Amy Ahomiro, opposite hitter Mitch Morente, and utility Bea Tan – she led the Lady Eagles to their first-ever UAAP championship in 2014 and a repeat the year after.

It was this spate of recent successes that led to speculation – even expectation – that Ateneo would make it back to the finals, even with Valdez having graduated, and, yes, again win it all. But UST would prove to be a huge stumbling block to that ambition when the Tigresses scored a straight-sets victory in Game 1 of the finals on May 11 at the Araneta Coliseum – 25-17, 25-16, 25-20 – before a sellout crowd and a stunned blue-and-white faithful. As expected, Sisi Rondina led the Tigresses in demolishing the listless Lady Eagles set by set, backed ably by Eya Laure, Caitlyn Viray, Kecelyn Galdones and Ysa Jimenez. Veterans like opposite hitter Dimdim Pacres, libero Rica Rivera and setter Alina Bicar also contributed to the Game 1 victory.

On the other side of the net, the Lady Eagles were a picture of utter chaos, committing error after error and ensuring their opponent’s win. A doppelganger of Pauline “Ponggay” Gaston, who defended the floor very well with excellent first-ball receives in the Final Four match versus FEU, could not materialize as she was unable to field the loaded services launched by the Golden Tigresses. The service aces of Sisi and Alina were spectacular for the UST cause and practically extinguished any advantage the Lady Eagles might have had at the net. That said, blocking was excellent for the ladies from Loyola Heights, and was the only bright spot they had, although this was somewhat sparse for them during this game. Notable performances for the Lady Eagles were those of middle blockers Maddie Madayag and Kat Tolentino, the latter being able to attack at will while moving more like an open hitter than a middle.

Game 2 on May 15 was therefore do-or-die match for the Lady Eagles, and many, even from among their fan base, thought that this was the end for them – what with the Growling Tigresses’ superb Game 1 showing. Fortunately for them, the Ateneans rose to the challenge to deliver a clutch four-set performance and win 26-24, 14-25, 25-21, 25-15. Leaning on their “Towers of Power” – Maddie, Kat and captain Bea de Leon – the Lady Eagles gave it their all, yielding only Set 2 to their opponents and dominating them at every turn.

For the Growling Tigresses, though, what sank their collective hearts was the ankle sprain caused by the hyperpronation of Eya’s left foot. Both sides gasped in horror – the two teams and their respective crowds – as she folded down on the floor, tears visible no doubt due to the pain but also perhaps because of thoughts racing in her mind that she would not be able to help her team rally back in Set 3. Her father, former PBA star Eddie Laure, carried her off the floor and into the dugout, from which she emerged late in Set 4 to try and do a Willis Reed of the New York Knicks back in 1970, or even a Paul Pierce of the Boston Celtics in the 2008 finals of the National Basketball Association in the US.

But it was too late, and perhaps ill-advised, for coach Kung Fu Reyes to field the young Laure, even if just maybe to inspire her teammates to try and stage a comeback. Any such thoughts had to be set aside as the Lady Eagles closed out Game 2 to set the stage for the winner-take-all third match, also in the same venue – the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City – three days later.

That was a Saturday, the 18th, and expectedly the Mall of Asia Arena – and the mall itself – was filled with diehards in blue and yellow, and both sides were hoping to finally bring home the crown that had resided at Taft courtesy of the La Salle Lady Spikers for the last three years. And with this sense of urgency on both sides, it was also expected that a five-setter was in the works, with the championship point – this is the point where the team in the lead needs to score just one more marker to take home the top prize – extending beyond 15. That would have been an enjoyable treat for the fans of both schools, but more so for the fans of the sport itself – nothing beats the thrill of tying both teams up at championship point.

And it did turn out to be a treat, although not exactly in the way the fans of the Growling Tigresses would have wanted things to go. Far from a five-setter, it was just a three-setter as Game 1 was, only this time, it was the Lady Eagles that won the match – and thus took home the top prize – 25-17, 25-22, 25-22.

From the get-go, Ateneo made it clear who was in charge, who would dominate the net – and the game for that matter. For sure, Sisi would be able to punch the ball through even against two blockers, but those were rare times. For the most part, the Katipunan Wall was solid, intact, and impervious to any attempt by Sisi, Eya, or even the strong newcomers like KC and Ysa. With Bea, Kat and Maddie at the net, there was nothing the UST girls really could do but try and perhaps score off the blockers – again another rare occurrence if and when it happened – or try and land the ball in the backline or nip at the corners.

But even that backline was superbly defended by rookie libero Dani Ravena out of Miriam College High School, who even scored two markers – both on pancake saves – which showed how quick she was or how flatfooted the Tigresses were on the return ball, or maybe both. The real Ponggay also finally showed up, diving for the ball like it was nobody’s business, and Deanna Wong, with more than 30 excellent sets, created spectacular plays for Kat, and even Bea and Maddie in the middle – but none more scintillating than setting up Jules Samonte, the diminutive but high-flying open hitter, at the championship point.

What made that championship point most exciting was the fact that UST was actually gaining fast on Ateneo, even tying them at 22-all in the third frame. A series of misfires by Sisi and Eya as well as a monstrous block for the ages that Maddie had forced on Eya pushed the Lady Eagles ahead, however, cementing the Katipunan Wall forever into Ateneo sports lore. When Jules had punched through that last point, the whole place was in a frenzy, and the Lady Eagles were once again the queens of UAAP volleyball.

(P.S.: What made this championship most memorable was that, despite the fierceness of the battle and the take-no-prisoners competitiveness exhibited by both teams, when the smoke had cleared, the ladies from both camps were a jumble of heartwarming friends who clearly had a great time – win or lose – with lots of hugs and kisses exchanged. Maddie and Sisi even did a few cartwheels on the UST side of the court, to the delight of their respective fans! The Lady Archers were present as well to receive their third-place award, but aside from courteous smiles and some handshakes, it seemed they would rather have been somewhere else – and for the Lady Eagles and the Growling Tigresses perhaps, the feeling was mutual. Ha-ha-ha! See you all in Season 82!]

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