WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Sarah Cruz

“Kung magaling sila, mas magaling dapat kami (If they’re good, we should be better),” says women’s volleyball team rookie Sarah Cruz, in reference to their upcoming season opener against perennial contender UST.

Ballsy words coming from a rookie—impetuous, and even impulsive at extremes—but Cruz’s logic gives us a reason to believe that it is Ateneo’s year to claim the UAAP Women’s Volleyball tournament.

In a team led by winning veterans, Cruz and co-rookie Mae Tajima inject youth and enthusiasm to a lineup loaded with a glut of scoring options and willing role players. Unlike Tajima, though, who has only been playing for a couple of years, Cruz is a more experienced competitor. She brings to the table six years of volleyball experience—having played since grade five, and once being awarded the Best Spiker trophy in a Davao Association of Colleges and Schools, Inc (DACS) tournament.

In her four years playing for Ateneo de Davao, the 17-year-old, 5’8” utility player has taken home gold medals in the DACS, the Davao Regional Athletics Association and the Davao City Athletic Association tourneys.

Making the move from Davao, Cruz finds Manila an odd place. She finds the slower, tranquil life in the province in stark contrast to the Manila metropolis. But the team has provided her a sense of home and familiarity; noting that captain Fille Cainglet is like their “mommy,” and Coach Roger Gorayeb acts more like a spiritual mentor than a volleyball coach.

“Coach Roger has been all right so far. He says a lot of inspirational things that gets the team going and gets the team together,” she says.

There’s no doubt about Cruz’s talent, and we can expect Cruz to live up to her gutsy declaration, as the team takes the ultimate test on November 26.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Ysay Marasigan

In a game where power, strength and hard hitting can give an integral advantage, a lethal hitter is a must for any title contender in the Season 74 UAAP Volleyball Championships—enter Ysrael Wilson “Ysay” Marasigan,

Donning the blue and white for the first time, this prized 5’11” hitter from Batangas City seeks to make his presence felt in the middle.

Ysay started playing volleyball when he was in fourth grade. As the years passed, his love for the game was his driving force. He went on to hone his talents at the high school level, playing for the University of Batangas. In fact, it was during one of his games that his skills caught the eye of his current coach, who—refereeing at that time—eventually offered Ysay a chance to play for Ateneo.

Despite his offensive prowess, Ysay humbly admits that he still has room for improvement, specifically on the defensive end. He cites receiving and blocking as areas of his game, which he plans to continue working on in order to contribute more to his team.

With the right attitude and an array of offensive moves at his disposal, Ysay Marasigan is one rookie with a high ceiling of potential.

In the years to come, “number 8” is poised to develop into a polished and reliable weapon for the Blue Spikers. His journey begins this season as he seeks to win over the Ateneo community, just as he had won over his coach’s attention a year ago.

“The Ateneo community can expect me to give my 100% in every spike, dig, and serve in order to win the game,” he says.

BASEBALL

Photo by Ean L. Dacay

Charles Catangui

Like most boys in the Philippines, Charles Catangui’s first sport was basketball—but then he tried his hand at baseball, and found it more enjoyable. Not long after, he joined the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM), marking the start of his baseball venture.

A true blue Atenean, Charles has been part of the Ateneo varsity baseball team since grade school. As a high school senior, he was the captain of the Blue Eaglet Batters. Though already accustomed to the Ateneo sports system, Charles says he prefers how things are done in college. “In high school, it was easy to get exempted because of games. But now [in college], we’re treated like everyone else—which I think is better,” he says.

Every now and then, Charles travels abroad with his team to represent the Philippines in various leagues. When he was 12, he represented the Philippines for the first time in a tournament in Japan.

While it wasn’t a victorious finish for Charles and his team, he recounts what he considered to be the best year in his baseball career so far. “The best year and ranking we had was in 2007; we placed second in the world,” he says.

Charles traveled to Michigan for the World Series alongside future Ateneo teammates Adrian Bernardo, Kevin Ramos and Andy Tan.

As a rookie, Charles listens to what his veteran teammates say about what to expect this January. “They told me that when the drums start playing and everybody’s cheering for you to just relax. If you get caught up in the moment, it might lead to errors and misplays.”

When asked if he feels the pressure to be named Rookie of the Year—given his competitive advantage of having had international experience—the freshman management economics major calmly says, “I feel the pressure, but not much. I know my capabilities. I know that I can deliver. I just hope that I can deliver at the right time.”

Charles is confident that the team has a good chance of finishing well this season. Unlike most teams in the UAAP, the Blue Batters didn’t lose many players. If anything, they gained several standouts, and one of them is Charles.

SOFTBALL

Photo by Ean L. Dacay

Lala Cruz

At first glance, one can almost assume that Rosella Clara “Lala” Cruz is an athlete. Her broad shoulders and toned arms—donning sleeveless tops and dresses with prints as bubbly as her personality—essentially give it away. Despite her vivacious personality however, when Lala steps on to the field as a member of the Lady Batters, she transforms from the Shay Mitchell lookalike into “Beast”—her tenacious alter ego, as nicknamed by her fellow teammates.

Lala kicked off her career on the field in fifth grade. It happened accidentally when she and her friend tried out for the softball team thinking that softball and kickball were the same. “We made the team and stayed, because apparently, we were good at it,” she says after gleefully recounting her love story with the sport.

Who would have thought that an innocent mistake in grade school would lead to opportunities in both local and overseas fielding events? Lala was part of the women’s teams that represented the Asia Pacific in the World Series in 2009 and took part in the Palarong Pambansa Regionals and Nationals this year.

With such credentials, it is no surprise that this Miriam high school graduate was offered athletic scholarships by some of the most prestigious universities in the country.

“Some people tell me I made the wrong decision [in] choosing Ateneo,” shares Lala, since most of her teammates went to play for UP. “But I really wanted to go to Ateneo. Now, I want to show them that I’m doing great here—in both softball and academics.”

Lala admits that she’s very nervous for her first UAAP experience. She’s quite unsure of what to expect once the season officially opens in January. “They tell me it gets really intense. So I expect it to be different, more professional,” she says.

Of course, the title of Rookie of the Year is part of Lala’s goals for this season. But after taking three weeks off training for a family vacation, Lala knows she has to work double time to achieve this goal.