One year after his transfer from University of the East to National University, the leash of residency is now off of Ed Camposano. He was all set to be a Bulldog for the UAAP Season 81 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
His NU debut, however, did not pan out that season.
Back then, the reigning champions still had Bryan Bagunas and a hefty amount of firepower in their arsenal. Had he suited up, Camposano would be underutilized.
“Ang nangyari po kasi noon na kaya ‘di po ako ni-lineup last year, gawa po ng lalabas na po sila Bryan, so ‘pag sinabay ako sa lineup nila last year po… So parang hindi rin po ako magagamit ng maayos,” the league’s Season 77 Rookie of the Year bared.
“Lumapit sa akin si coach na next year na po ako ila-lineup. So ‘yun nga po, ‘yun po ‘yung bakit two years po ako ‘di naglaro.”
A two-year wait is quite a long one. So when his time finally came in Season 82 on Wednesday, the now-23-year-old Camposano seized the moment.
The 6-foot-3 hitter made his presence felt for NU, pummeling University of Santo Tomas with 19 points built on four blocks. His high-octane performance helped the Bulldogs start off their three-peat quest on the right track in the post-Bagunas era.
Clearly, the bright-eyed outside hitter spared no effort in his return to the league. After all, the triumphant moment meant so much more for him.
Camposano has seen the lowest of lows.
During his three-year stay with UE, he only tasted a victory at the tail end of his days with the beleaguered program. This came in the second round of Season 79, as the Red Warriors escaped Adamson in a five-set thriller.
So it’s easy to understand why Camposano felt overwhelmed with joy after winning in his NU debut.
“Sarap sa feeling kasi parang lahat ng pinaghihirapan namin, pinaghirapan ko, parang ‘yun naging resulta, panalo,” he gushed.
“Ang sarap po sa feeling.”
Knowing the rigors of losing and waiting on the wings for two long years, Camposano is now raring to reap what he sowed in his first and last year as a Bulldog.
“Sobra, sobra kong na-miss kasi as in two years din ako nag-antay, so talagang na-miss ko talaga maglaro ng UAAP. So susulitin ko ‘yung last playing year ko,” he asserted.
He then continued, “Etong chance na ‘to, ‘di ko papalagpasin ‘to kasi ito na ‘yung huling season ko. So ibubuhos ko ano makakaya ko para sa team at makuha ‘yung goal namin na makapag-three-peat.”
