When Risa Sato stepped onto the Taraflex of UAAP Season 82 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, her emotions were palpable. She wore a huge smile across her face and had fire in her eyes.
The 5-foot-10 middle blocker staged a comeback after academic deficiencies barred her from suiting up last season. And she only had one thing in mind: making sure that National University wins under her watch.
“Before the game pa, sobrang excited ako. Then paglaro, parang ‘Lahat bigay mo sa ‘kin’, ‘yun ang isip ko,” the 25-year-old Sato bared.
“Eye to eye lang, [naiintindihan na nila] na laban ka. Kontrolin sarili. Enjoy po!”
That vehement desire was evident in the collision between the Lady Bulldogs and the Golden Tigresses, serving as a stabilizing force late in the fourth set when UST threatened to finish off the match.
Clinging on a slim 21-19 edge, Sato traded blows with Eya Laure and Imee Hernandez to keep UST at bay. Her differential hits allowed NU to force a decider, then eventually snatch the win from the Golden Tigresses’ grasps.
“Parang kailangan talaga kasi merong rookies, so kailangan talaga ako mag-work,” Sato said.
“And ‘pag kinakabahan sila, ako na lang lalapit. ‘Happy-happy, smile smile smile’ sabi ko lang sa kanila.“
The Fil-Japanese stalwart concluded her return game with 17 points built on a whopping seven blocks.
But beyond Sato’s scoring contributions, NU head coach Norman Miguel lauded his veteran for her impact on the younger Lady Bulldogs.
“Nung ginawa naming team captain si Risa. Nagbigay siya ng sistema sa team namin. Sa part ng coaching staff, nababawasan ‘yung trabaho namin when it comes to ‘yung pag-didiscipline ng mga bata,” Miguel said.
“Being a Japanese player, little by little nagi-input siya ng sistema ng how to discipline a Japanese player.”
