By: Ohmer Bautista
Although Jerrili Malabanan is the official team captain of Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws, she intends to cast aside the idea that she will be the only source of leadership for the Lady Tamaraws.
After the graduation of erstwhile-skipper Bernadeth Pons, the role of captain could have gone to any of the four battle-tested volleybelles of the storied FEU program – Toni Rose Basas, Malabanan, Kyle Negrito, and Heather Guino-o – with Basas as the frontrunner.
However, injury came knocking at FEU’s door, with Basas ruled out for the season. The soft-spoken Malabanan, who is known for her shy demeanor, was therefore tasked to fill the position that entails the most vocal and mature voice in any team.
In her first game at the helm, the 5-foot-11 Malabanan was a huge factor behind their four-set, curtain-raising victory at the expense of the youth-laden National University Lady Bulldogs. She finished the match with 10 decisive points.
Her scoring prowess was not the only thing in full display in their season-opening victory, however. Her knack for leading the team with her poise also showed, and it rubbed off on her teammates – especially on Lycha Ebon, Guino-o and Celine Domingo, who supplied 13 and 11 markers each, respectively.
“Well obviously, I’m happy that our team won the game,” the 23-year-old beamed.
“I’m proud of the way my teammates performed.”
However, in spite of receiving heaps of praise for stirring the ship to their first victory, Malabanan admitted that leading the team has not and will not be her sole responsibility for this season. She has had this mindset that leading the team does not fall on her shoulder alone, but on her fellow seniors as well.
“It’s not just me who’s going to have the leading role. I also have Heather and Kyle also,” the Fullerton, California-born spiker confessed.
“We’re kind of sharing that leadership role.”
Having two of her trusted teammates to carry the heavy load with her gives the soft-spoken captain the strength to fill the huge shoe that the outspoken Pons and Remy Palma once wore.
With this, FEU will bank on their three mature voices in their conquest of quenching their title drought and reclaiming the glory that they have lost for almost a decade.
