The way volleyball wunderkind Eya Laure wreaked havoc in her maiden campaign in the collegiate scene conceived talk of a promising future — one where she would compete alongside EJ Laure in the UAAP.
That afterthought turned into reality on Wednesday when the UST Golden Tigresses battled the NU Lady Bulldogs. There, the Laures played in the age-old league for the first time since their stints with the Junior Golden Tigresses.
As usual, the younger Eya was an offensive force with 20 points, with a bulk coming from attacks. On the other hand, her elder sister showed no signs of rust, pouring a triple-double outing of 17 markers, 20 digs, and 12 receptions.
Still, despite their stellar outings, the Tigresses fell prey to the Bulldogs. But the loss could hardly dampen the siblings’ happiness after their UAAP reunion.
“Siyempre happy kasi after ilang years, andito na ulit kami,” EJ gushed.
Eya then chimed in, “Sobrang happy na kasama ko siya. Hindi ko inisip na mangyayari pa ‘to, pero happy na nandyan siya sa tabi ko and naglalaro kami together.”
The league’s top rookie last season couldn’t help but also be in awe of EJ’s ability to score with the greatest of ease. So it’s something that she’s looking to learn from her big sister as the season goes along.
“Ang sinasabi ko kasi sa kanya kanina, ‘Grabe ‘no, ate? Ikaw tapik-tapik ka lang, pero nakakapuntos ka, pero ako kailangan kong brasuhi bago muna ‘ko magkaroon ng puntos. Nand’on talaga ‘yung veteran talaga siya. Makikita mo talaga na familiar siya sa court na pinaglalaruan niya,” Eya shared.
“Kumbaga, pinapa-simple niya ‘yung volleyball. Kaso sabi ko next time parang gusto ko din mga style mo, kaso ngayon magkaiba pa kami ng laro.”
The dynamics of their once setter-spiker duo have changed over the course of time, but the connection remains as magical as ever.
This time around, though, there’s some tough love brewing between UST’s sister act.
“Kasi ‘yung ate ko, kumbaga parang china-challenge niya talaga ako,” she bared.
“Sa depensa lagi kaming nagta-trashtalk kaming dalawa. Pati sa training, nagta-trashtalk kami tungkol sa depensa. ‘Yun ‘yung isa sa pinatutuungan ko din after nu’ng last season, ‘yung depensa. ‘Yung receive next na ‘yon, lalagyan ko din ng time para i-improve.”
