They may be the fancied team in the UAAP, but multi-titled La Salle Coach Ramil De Jesus compared his stalwarts’s road to the UAAP women’s volleyball crown this season to a rollercoaster ride.
“Siguro sa lahat ng mga na-form kong team, ito yung pinaka-rollercoaster. Sobrang babaw ng bench, wala kang makuha.
Pero in the end, nag-deliver lahat nang maganda,” said De Jesus following the Lady Spikers’ two-game finals sweep of Ateneo last Saturday, including a 19-25, 25-14, 18-25, 25-18, 15-10 Game 2 triumph.
With last season’s title under its belt, La Salle entered the season as one of the teams to beat. But the Lady Spikers encountered rough-sailing in the double-round eliminations, especially after losing to archrival Ateneo twice.
But the losses did not dampen the spirits of the Taft-based spikers. Instead, they used it as added motivation to improve their performance in future matches – including that sweet title victory over Ateneo.
“Siguro yung buong elims, nire-review namin yung games. Nakikita mo yung advantage at disadvantage ng team. Dun kami nag-focus kung saan kami dehado para alam na yung mga dapat gawin next game,” said De Jesus.
It was La Salle’s 10th championship in the league and also the 10th title for De Jesus since taking over the cudgels in 1997.
Veteran setter Kim Fajardo, who is playing her last year, could not contain her feelings of making a memorable exit in her collegiate career.
“Sobrang saya. Sobrang happy. Worth it lahat. Hindi ko naramdaman na ako lang ang mag-isang lumalaban. Lahat kami, hindi bumitaw,” said Fajardo.
De Jesus also lauded Fajardo’s overall efforts with the team for the past years.