For a moment back in Game Two, the De La Salle University Lady Spikers had the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles right where they wanted them.
Having toppled the defending champions in Game One, La Salle overcame a 20-24 deficit in the second set of Game Two. With all the momentum on the Lady Spikers’ side, even the thousands of fans at the SM Mall of Asia Arena could smell blood — Ateneo fans hushed, La Salle fans frenzied.
But, almost with a flip of a switch, Ateneo changed the complexion of the match completely. With “heartstrong” team captain Alyssa Valdez rallying her troops, Ateneo dominated the rest of the match.
La Salle began conceding more and more mistakes as the match went along. Punched in the nose, the Lady Spikers had no counter, going down like Sonny Liston to Rocky Balboa’s late flourish.
The frustration was felt by every member of La Salle after the game. No one, not the players, nor any of the coaches, felt comfortable enough to talk the media.
Watching Game Two once more, head coach Ramil De Jesus maintained his cool on televised timeouts. The mentor during all of La Salle’s eight championship teams, De Jesus barked out strategy and kept his calm.
His players, however, appeared rattled in the face of the onslaught. Team captain Kim Fajardo often looked at his teammates before serves and told them to breathe.
This has been a persistent problem for the Lady Spikers all season long.
In the deep end of matches, they stiffened, suffocating under the pressure. La Salle had lost three five-set matches this season including both of their Ateneo losses. In two of their three defeats, La Salle had the chance to end the match in either the third and fourth set but allowed their opponents to crawl back.
A lot of it was skill-based – a domino effect that presents itself in nearly every volleyball match. As their reception wavered, La Salle could not score consistently leaving Ateneo with easy chances to grab momentum and build on their lead.
A lot of it was heart and desire. There were multiple points were any other team would have flipped ball over. But the Lady Eagles improvised, keeping digs high and hoping for the best. Luckily, they had the best – Alyssa Valdez.
“Hindi lahat ng bola magiging perfect. Tiyagain lang natin. Hindi lahat ng bola maganda. Dapat gawan natin ng paraan,” De Jesus jeered during one of his timeouts.
Game Three will be the biggest event in the history of local volleyball, with La Salle and Ateneo closing out a golden era in the sport.
Everything is in favor of the Lady Spikers. They have not lost back-to-back matches this season. Moreover, the Smart Araneta Coliseum has been especially kind to La Salle — both their wins against Ateneo happened in the country’s most historic venue.
Unlike other teams, La Salle embrace a vengeful reputation. They speak about pride openly, entirely aware of their place atop the totem pole of local volleyball.
Saturday is their last chance at glory – the singular moment that will decide how they will be remembered.
