It’s hard enough for a player to adjust to a championship culture like La Salle’s, but Lourdes Clemente has to face the increased pressure of playing in the UAAP.
Clemente was a decent player in her four years with the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Lady Altas, winning multiple Best Middle Blocker awards.
Coming into a La Salle squad that lost Season 79 MVP Majoy Baron – who stands at 5-foot-11 – the 6-foot-1 Clemente was seen as an able replacement.
The Marketing Major, however, is still getting her bearings. She starts every La Salle match but quickly heads to the bench after several sequences. Through her first two games, Clemente barely played a set and did not score.
Her first point didn’t come until La Salle’s third match.
Clemente came into a tight third set against the NU Lady Bulldogs and made plays that swung momentum in La Salle’s favor. She finished the match with five points, probably the toughest five points of her volleyball life.
“Medyo nakakuha ko kahit papaano ng kumpyansa, pero hindi pa rin ako satisfied sa nilaro ko today. Kasi marami pa ring kulang, ganyan, kahit sa training,” said Clemente, who is just 22 years old.
“Marami pa rin kulang talaga. Lahat ng kulang ko, kailangan kong pagtuunan ng pansin. Laging sinasabi sa amin ng coaches namin na ‘wag makuntento sa kung ano ang ginagalaw namin, dapat mas dagdagan pa namin.”
Ramil De Jesus expects Clemente to get better, but he knows it’ll be a process. After all, De Jesus has trained some of the best middle blockers in the country including National Team mainstays Baron, Mika Reyes, and Aby Maraño.
“Nung nag-start siya sumabay sa training, marami kaming kinorrect sa kanya. So far, yung training ng skills, halos three to four hanggang five months lang siguro eh, so marami pa kaming aayusin sa kanya. And then yung transition as a middle, kailangan lang niyang ma-adapt,” admitted the 11-time UAAP champion.
“May mga times na pagka-papalo siya, hinto, tapos papalo, hinto. Sabi ko sa kanya, kailangan mong baguhin yun. Kasi, yung middle hindi humihinto yan. Pagkatapos mung pumalo, kailangan mo bumlock, kailangan mong mag-anticipate kung ano gagawin ng kalaban, mag-anticipate kung anong gagawin ng kasama mo. So kailangan lang i-orient siya sa ganoon,” he continued.
“Siguro sa kabilang liga kasi, pagpalo ito patay na kaagad, wala yung rally ‘di ba? Kasi malaki siya, hindi halos humahaba yung rally, kaya hindi napu-push ng napu-push yung limits ni Lourdes, kaya minsan hindi na nache-check.”
