La Salle’s Angel Canino during their UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball faceoff with Ateneo. Photo from UAAP Media.MANILA — De La Salle University earned its 15th straight victory over Ateneo de Manila University after their latest clash in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball on Wednesday.
The Lady Spikers have won all their matches against the Blue Eagles since May 2, 2017, in Season 79, with stars like Majoy Baron, Ara Galang, Kim Kianna Dy, Kim Fajardo, Jolina Dela Cruz, and Angel Canino lifting the Taft-based squad to glory during the years that passed until now.
In that same span, on the other hand, the Blue Eagles have struggled to return to contender status after the exits of the likes of Alyssa Valdez, Jia de Guzman, Bea de Leon, Maddie Madayag, Faith Nisperos, and Vanie Gandler.
La Salle won two championships since 2017 and extended their Final 4 streak to 14 in Season 86, while Ateneo only has one title and has missed the semifinals in the past two seasons.
For La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus, while the lifelong rivalry between the two proud institutions is alive, it cannot be denied that it has seen better days.
“Sa ngayon, hindi ko nakikita [yung spark ng rivalry],” said the long-time La Salle coach. “Sa ngayon, yung Ateneo parang walang player na go-to-guy. That time, si Alyssa, bigay mo lang lahat sa kanya at bubuhayin na ni Alyssa.”
“Ngayon, walang Alyssa eh. Even lang yung team ng Ateneo, distributed yung bola, so hindi mo pwedeng baliwalain. Before, si Alyssa lang babantayan mo, ngayon evenly distributed ang bola,” he added.
The Blue Eagles settled for sixth place in Season 85 with a 4-10 record, fifth place in Season 86 with a 5-9 record, and are currently 1-5 in Season 87.
That is why at present, Coach Ramil said that he looks at their ADMU assignment as a game that would help them rack up wins for the Final 4 race, a bit far from the heated encounters in the past that Ateneo-La Salle matches in a jam-packed Araneta or MOA Arena bring.
"‘Di ko tinitignan yun sa ngayon eh,” he pointed out. “Ang kailangan namin sa ngayon eh makakuha ng panalo. Ang layo na masyado ng Top 1 at 2 eh, so hindi dapat kami magpaiwan at maipilit naming mahabol yung Top 4 kahit sino pa yung kalaban namin.”
Despite the atmosphere being different, however, the Lady Spikers emphasized and maintained that they still treat the Blue Eagles as worthy rivals, much like how their "ates" did in the past.
“Every game, we have that pride na kailangan dala-dala namin as a Lady Spiker. Yung legacy ni Coach Ramil at yung legacy ng past Lady Spikers, dala-dala namin yun,” said team captain Angel Canino. “Ang difference lang with Ateneo, we have that rivalry, so dapat may dagdag na pride at puso, na kaya naming panindigan yung ilang years ni Coach Ramil.”
Her fellow veteran Shevana Laput also added that it is still the battle of school pride and living up to their roles as LaSallians.
“When we play against Ateneo, it’s more than just playing their team,” said Laput. “It’s about representing our school and the whole LaSallian community, so for sure, there is added pressure and pride that we need to show.”
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