Now that the smoke has settled and that championship feeling has finally sunk in for La Salle, the question now is what’s next for the newly crowned Queens of UAAP Volleyball?
With star hitters Ara Galang, Mika Reyes and Cyd Demecillo now graduating alongside the likes of vital back-ups Mika Esperanza and Carol Cerveza, the Lady Spikers will definitely have a huge gap to fill come next year.
But after all departures, all eyes are now on star setter Kim Fajardo on whether she’d return next year for a final tour of duty.
Fajardo, the reigning UAAP best setter, bore that she’s still 50-50 on whether she’ll be donning the green and white next year upon the request of his father who’ll be heading back home after spending years overseas as an interior designer.
“Siyempre gusto ko makasama sila (yung mga teammates ko) ulit. Kaso yung Daddy ko gusto rin niya na magpahinga ako.
Uuwi kasi siya ngayon so gusto niya kami makasama ng matagal. Kasi ever since naglaro ako, puro training, pag umuuwi siya wala ako, laging di kasama. So ngayon lang siya nanghingi ng big favor sa akin,” she said while also mentioning that she’s also considering playing in commercial leagues.
With her sister Rossan starring for Philips Gold, the thoughts of playing together with her sister in front of their parents is one thing she’s considering, though she reiterated that nothing is final as of the moment.
“Yung isa ko pong kapatid naglalaro sa Philips. Gusto niya rin makita na kaming dalawa magkasama maglaro so ’di ko rin kino-close ang offers ng ibang teams makasama sila.”
With Fajardo’s future still up in the air and her back-up in Esperanza also leaving, that leaves La Salle with a vacuum on the setter position assuming Fajardo foregoes her final year.
But she’s confident that whoever Coach Ramil de Jesus designates as the Lady Spikers’ floor general will flourish assuming that setter embraces the role of shying away from the limelight.
“Yung pagiging setter mahirap siya. Kailangan matanggap mo kagad siya. Kung sino man ang gawing setter ni coach if ever na wala ako, siguro kailangan gustuhin lang niya. Kung gugustuhin nila maging setter, makukuha nila yun kahit gaano pa kahirap yan,” said Fajardo.