One of the biggest surprises when the 18-woman pool for the National Team was announced last Friday was the selection of Petron middle blocker Mika Reyes as skipper.
The three-time UAAP champion had never been captain in college or in any club she played in.
Head coach Francis Vicente explained that Reyes was selected based on certain standards he and his fellow coaches set. After intense deliberation, the 22-year-old Pulilan, Bulacan-native came out as the best candidate although she was not listed as a candidate when the 25-woman pool was announced last March.
While some fans have their doubts, Reyes’ former La Salle teammates and fellow National Team campaigners are fully confident in the middle blocker’s capacity.
“Si Yeye [Reyes] naman grabe ang determinasyon at disiplina niyan. ‘Yung leadership niya nandoon at vocal din naman siya,” said setter Kim Fajardo who played with Reyes for four years in the UAAP.
“Matapang siya sa loob ng court at marunong mag-handle ng pressure. Being a team of captain of this team, malaking pressure talaga ‘yun.
“Pero sa pagkakakilala ko kay Yeye, di naman siya magpapadala doon. At di lang naman sa kanya mapupunta ‘yung burden of leadership. Siyempre kailangan tulungan ang team doon,” Fajardo, La Salle’s team captain in Season 78 and 79, added.
Perhaps the 2016 PSA Ms. Volleyball’s biggest supporter on the National Team is Aby Maraño.
The fiery former UAAP MVP thinks this is Reyes’ prime chance to come out of her shell as a leader.
“Masasabi ko na sobrang proud ako na siya ‘yung naging captain ball ngayon kasi, for me, isa itong bagay na makakatulong para mas mag-mature pa siya. Nabigyan siya nang malaking responsibilidad, magiging motivation ‘to para for her to be more perseverant, exert more effort sa career niya kasi, alam natin na busy din siyang tao with all her commitments,” Maraño said.
“With her captaincy, kailangan niya malaman ‘yung priorities niya ngayon. Kilala ko si Mika, alam kong ‘di niya ‘to palalampasin. Kaming mga seniors niya, aalalayain namin siya. Hindi siya mahihirapan to handle the team kasi nandito pa rin naman kami to guide her,” added Maraño, who made a name for herself with her exuberant style when she was La Salle’s captain through Season 75 and 76.
“Makikita nila (fans) ‘yung talagang matured na Mika na kaya maging leader. Though may mga negative comments na ‘di naman siya magaling, she will show na kaya niya talaga. For us kasi, ang team captain is just a title. It’s more of being a bridge from coaches to players. Kung susumahin naman, hindi naman tatakbo ang team sa isang tao lang, lahat kami kikilos. Siya lang ‘yung taga-organize ng team.”
And with her former teammates expressing their full confidence with her, maybe the National Team is in good hands with Reyes leading the way.
