From service specialist to starting utility hitter, Kim Gequillana had quite a journey leading up to her stellar performance against the De La Salle Lady Spikers last Sunday.
Gequillana, who started in her first Ateneo-La Salle match, scored nine points. Although that may seem like a small tally, she scored most of her points in stretches when Ateneo needed them most.
Add her peculiar yet deadly-effective serve, Gequillana swung the momentum to Ateneo’s side multiple times throughout the five-set classic.
“I’m happy na naka-contribute ako ulet. At the same time, it’s a team effort naman. Every point na makakapuntos ako, galing yan sa defense ng teammates ko, sa sets ni Jia (Morado),” Gequillana told Tiebreaker Times after the match.
At the start of the season, Gequillana barely saw any playing time, being slotted in as just a service specialist. But, after Maddie Madayag’s sudden ACL injury, Gequillana took over in the starting six.
“It actually helped that I was a service specialist kasi nae-expose din ako sa game. So ngayon, hindi ako nabibigla. Nakakasabay ako. Alam ko na yung situations sa loob ng court,” she explained.
Now that the Lady Eagles are in the Final Four with the top seed, they await which of NU and UP they will face in the semis.
Winning over their rivals and fellow championship contender gave the Lady Eagles a huge boost of confidence according to Gequillana.
“It gave us confidence na kaya namin. It motivates to do even more during practice and be a better team,” she closed.
