Fifth-year National University Lady Bulldog Rose Doria capped her collegiate career with an award she could call her own – the Best Blocker of the UAAP Season 81 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
“Unang-una, thankful po ako kasi ‘di ko rin po yun inaasahan.
“Nasa isip ko, okay lang na walang award basta nabigay ko yung best ko ngayong season. Sobrang nagpapasalamat nalang ako kasi binigay sa akin ni Lord ito,” said the 5-foot-10 spiker, who steered the young Lady Bulldogs to a surprising sixth-place finish with a 4-10 record.
With it, however, came controversy.
When the All-UAAP team was announced last week, Doria was adjudged as the league’s best blocker, while Ateneo’s Maddie Madayag fell to second.
This, despite Madayag posting an average of 0.86 kill blocks per set (44 total) compared to 0.69 per set by Doria (37).
“Nasa isip ko nung na, siguro second lang,” admitted Doria.
“Nagulat na lang din po ako na ako po yung una.”
As it turns out, the league has another set of computations that resulted in Doria topping the position.
The 22-year-old native of Pangasinan admitted that she has read what the bashers have to say. But for her, this was beyond her control.
“Sabi nga po ng parents ko, tahimik ka na lang kasi wala ka namang kinalaman diyan,” she said, adding that the individual honor was just a bonus.
“Kung anuman yung binigay sa iyo, huwag mo nang pansinin kung anong sinasabi nila.”
As she opens a new chapter in her career, Doria knows that she will have a chip on her shoulder as she proves her doubters wrong. And she is ready to take them on with her head up high.
“Tatanggapin ko lang po. Yun lang po,” she declared.
“Mas papatunayan ko pa na karapat-dapat ako sa award.”
