The UAAP goes through Alyssa Valdez and Ateneo

MANILA, Philippines – I started my love affair with UAAP basketball during the turn of the century. 

At that time, Philippine collegiate hoops was ruled by the De La Salle Green Archers, which boasted talented stars who seemed invincible and unbeatable. That talent translated to the basketball court, where DLSU took down rival after another to win four straight championships from 1998-2001, creating one of the most historic dynasties this country’s sports lore has ever seen. 

Those La Salle teams had many stars who went on to play in the PBA. There was Macmac Cardona and his unblockable – except for Larry Fonacier – and uncanny hook shot. There was the Cool Cat, Mike Cortez, who glided his way around the court as slick as any point guard the UAAP has ever seen, but with the ability to take off at any moment to throw down a ring-rattling slam, or pull up for a jumper. 

Then there was Renren Ritualo, the most dead-eye shooter the Green Archers have ever had. 

His clutch heroics are one of the biggest reasons why La Salle has a couple of championship banners hanging at the heavens of their Green Archer gym in Taft, Manila. The 3-pointers he hit, time and time again in the most necessary situations, have created so many memories in college hoops that, unbelievably enough, is now about a decade and a half years old, but still gives the same amount of goosebumps.

“There was fear in the eyes of La Salle’s opponents when they saw the Green Archers walking to the court,” an alumnus of the university once told me. “And when they saw Ritualo wide open beyond the 3-point line, it was like they already gave up.”

A wide open Ritualo, feet set, defender too far away, beyond the white 3-point line was a scary sight for UAAP teams not named La Salle. During many epic Ateneo-La Salle battles, the fear in the eyes of Blue Eagle fans when they saw an undefended Renren was prominent. It was like conceding defeat before the shot even went up in the air. And once it did, the ending of the script was all but written.

That same fear is visible in the eyes of the opponents of this era’s Ateneo Lady Eagles. To be more specific, that fear is most present when an unfortunate libero or receiver is given the unfavorable assignment of trying – and most of the time failing – to counter a spike from the deadly Alyssa Valdez. 

Last Saturday, November 22, Jaja Santiago and the overwhelmed National University Bulldogs were placed in that situation and were dominated from the opening buzzer up to the end of their game against the Lady Eagles, with the game lasting just three sets. On Wednesday, November 26, it was the Adamson Lady Falcons’ turn to feel the wrath of Valdez and her comrades, who made an Adamson team that many expect to be a contender this season look like minced meat at the conclusion of the matchup. 

The UAAP Season 77 women’s volleyball tournament goes through the Ateneo Lady Eagles. It goes through this bunch of talented and motivated ladies who work in harmony on the court; a squad that knows each other’s capabilities and vulnerabilities by heart. It goes through a unit led by a wise (and talented dancer) head coach in Tai Bundit, who knows the right buttons to push with his team and when to do so.

But most of all, it goes through Alyssa Valdez, a once-in-a-generation kind of athlete who was already recognized as the MVP of the league last season but continues to get better while still taking control of the UAAP by her grip. A superstar who, like Ritualo generations before her, is stunning to see live and on full display; like watching poetry in motion.

New season, same mentality

Valdez and the Lady Eagles needed only three sets to send NU packing in a heartbeat last Saturday, but she still managed to record 28 points – 20 kills, 6 aces, and 2 blocks. Some collegiate standouts don’t even get close to 20 points even once in their career; Valdez scored eight more than that in a game that barely reached an hour and a half. 

Against Adamson, which also only lasted three sets, Valdez scored less, though putting up 15 points against a Final Four team from last season is still impressive. The only thing that’s more consistent than her incredible scoring prowess is her smile, which seems to never leave her face. 

“I’m super proud of my teammates, especially the kids that were inserted,” Valdez said in Filipino after the victory over Adamson. “That’s what they do when we train, so I’m happy that they showed it in the game.”

Ateneo is 2-0 in the win-loss column, tied with La Salle atop the league standings. They’ve played six sets, and have won all. The most an opponent has managed to score against them so far was when NU put up 21 points in the first set of their game last Saturday. But since then, the Lady Eagles have not let any opponent crack the 20-point mark.

The rookies, particularly Bea De Leon, who put up 7 points against NU and 8 versus Adamson (with 4 blocks), have been one of the biggest reasons why Ateneo isn’t suffering through a championship hangover out of the gates as they embark on a title repeat, along with Valdez and the strong start to the season for veterans Amy Ahomiro, Denden Lazaro, and Michelle Morente, among others.  

Last year, the Lady Eagles finally broke through Ateneo history by adding a UAAP women’s volleyball title for the first time to the school’s crowded mantle of trophies. 

This season, Valdez and company’s goal is simple: go back to back, and start a potential dynasty of their own.

But they don’t enter every game with the mentality that they need to destroy every opponent and assert themselves as the measuring stick of the tournament – even though that’s exactly been the case so far. They won last year’s finals against a La Salle squad that nearly every critic and pundit picked to beat them by leaning on an attitude that became an iconic slogan: “Heartstrong.” 

At first, that mantra sounds like a team relying on will, fortitude, and, of course, heart to garner victory. But truth be told, it conveys much more, particularly letting go of all distractions, pressure, and other unnecessary hindrances. All that mattered to the Lady Eagles was going out on the court, with each player giving their all, and enjoying the game they grew up loving while going up against the best. 

It worked wonders as they came away with the grandest upset UAAP volleyball has ever seen when they took down the mighty Lady Spikers, and Valdez believes having the same belief this season is going to be essential for more success. 

“Our mindset is just the same: one game at a time,” she said. “Coach Tai always reminds us to stay grounded and he always makes us work hard during training, so he doesn’t make us feel like we’ve already won (so many) games.”

“Going to this game, even the last game, we didn’t have expectations,” Valdez said about their wins over Adamson and NU. “We just play and we just enjoy the game.”

“We need to be consistent. We need to improve on the basics, like service-receive, receive – especially the service-receive-  because at the end of the day, that’s where volleyball goes back to: receive, service, and spiking,” she said, admitting that even as impressive as Ateneo has looked, the list of things they still need to work on is far from over.  

And she makes a great point. The Lady Eagles are talented and they have the best collegiate volleyball player in the country right now. It may be hard to believe, but Valdez is becoming even more well-rounded than she already is. Her jump is higher and she’s spiking the ball with even more force than her MVP campaign last season. But there’s another team that like Ateneo has yet to taste defeat this season. 

They do, however, remember the taste of coming up short in the biggest stage.  

La Salle is out for retribution, and the Lady Eagles are blocking their way back to the top.

Almost the entire DLSU lineup that succumbed to ADMU last year has returned, with Aby Marano as the only exception. But even with the two-time former UAAP MVP moving on to the pros, the Lady Spikers remain well-coached, veteran-laden, and talented. What makes them most dangerous is motivation. It’s hard to think each of them don’t go to bed every night without the memories of Valdez and Ateneo taking their title lingering at the back of their heads.

That kind of pain can make a unit hungry for vengeance very determined, especially with the pressure of repeating as champions now off their backs. This year, the roles have been reversed between both sides.

Even outside of La Salle, NU and Adamson also loom as potential threats as they look to improve over the next few weeks of the league’s calendar. The FEU Lady Tamaraws are nothing to cough at either, while UST has gathered more firepower with the emergence of rookie standout EJ Laure. 

“Every team is a challenge,” insists Valdez, who’s not taking any opponent for granted, favorite or not. “Coach Tai makes us prepare for every team. The preparation is the same for every team.”

It’s the correct mindset to have, especially as champions. La Salle might be the choice of many to battle with Ateneo in the finals, but other teams can catch fire at the right moment and knock one of the two leading horses out of the race. The Lady Eagles should be aware of that, since they played that part last year when they took down the Lady Bulldos, who were twice-to-beat favorites, in the Final Four round to make the finals before completing their championship run.

“Every team is a challenger. We prepare for all of them, because even they prepare for us,” Valdez said.

But this much is true as well: as long as Alyssa Valdez puts on her Lady Eagles uniform, gets to the court, and proceeds to deliver her patented killer spikes, then the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament still goes through Ateneo.  

Valdez is a terrific talent, and her capabilities have helped catapult this team to the top of the league in the past year. Now, the challenge lies in the Lady Eagles making sure they don’t fall from the top of the pyramid, despite the target on their backs, and to create a dynasty that will be told decades from now, like how many sports historians continue to relive the tales of the Green Archers from 15 years ago. 

The journey to doing so is far from accomplished, and will be filled with many obstacles along the way. But with Valdez leading the pack, I wouldn’t count against Ateneo.

– Rappler.com