Keeping it classy. The Lady Spikers exchange pleasantries with their Lasallian counterparts after the game. Photo by Ryan Y. Racca

The Lady Spikers fell two wins short of a championship, but they did not fall short of attaining glory.

Head coach Roger Gorayeb entered the volleyball program just four years ago, the same time Fille Cainglet, Angeline Gervacio, Aillysse Nacachi, Jem Ferrer and Gretchen Ho stepped in Ateneo’s decked halls as beady-eyed freshmen looking to whack some Mikasas for the blue and white. Charo Soriano—the previous year’s Best Scorer and Best Receiver—needed help, and team officials did the best they could, hauling in five recruits and a seasoned coach.

After four harrowing seasons, the Lady Spikers have emerged as the only team to have found the chink in La Salle’s armour, handing the Taft-based squad their first loss under playoff lights.

The women’s volleyball team has slowly and sure-footedly eked its way to the top, in sharp contrast to La Salle’s meteoric rise to volleyball prominence. After four years, the Lady Spikers have metamorphosed from struggling underdogs to legitimate title contenders, capable of punishing even the league’s top dogs.

The good

How legitimate are the Lady Spikers?

The ladies in blue ended the season with an 11-3 slate, good enough for second overall. Their only losses came from league tyrants DLSU and a mental meltdown against the UST Tigresses. The Lady Spikers finished off all their games with their trademark fluid offense and smooth team dynamic.

The title drought has gone on for 33 years for Ateneo. Despite losing in the finals, the win against La Salle showed that not only can the team effectively bruise DLSU’s chances, they are also slowly developing a killer instinct, brought in by the urge to achieve and the spark provided by rookie Alyssa Valdez.

Slowly, the team has collectively pined for a championship, and the team’s seniors are hungrier than ever.

Apparent in the finals series was the team’s robust character. As the DLSU Lady Spikers trash-talked with every reception and every kill, Ateneo’s own Lady Spikers came up with their own ripostes. Cold stares from Cainglet or raised chins from Gervacio countered league MVP Abigail Maraño’s unnecessary gestures or La Salle setter Mika Esperanza’s unwarranted headshaking. Tension mounted in every possession, and it was in those moments that the Ateneans showed their mettle.

The season sweep completed by DLSU shook the usual playoff format into a stepladder tourney. This meant days of rest for the ladies in blue, who were still reeling from their latest loses. Both losses were psychological, exposing Ateneo’s weakness in pressure situations.

The bad

The Lady Spikers were a spoiled team—used to winning by huge margins and vulnerable in late game scenarios. Once their feathers get ruffled, the team crumbles, as evidenced by their breakdown against UST and the five-setter against DLSU. After the team lost its defensive footing, the team struggled to get back on track and win in close games.

That weakness was fully blown during the Lady Spikers’ disintegration in the second set of Game Two, when they struggled to keep up with La Salle’s breakneck pace. Maraño and Michelle Gumabao came to life for La Salle, and the gaps on defense widened.

Libero Denn Lazaro, after doing a stellar job of negating DLSU’s attackers, was rendered vulnerable after a flurry of La Salle spikers came to the fore. DLSU took advantage of the lapse and made the game their own, much to Ateneo’s dismay.

Other weaknesses include Valdez’s conditioning, which should improve as she adjusts to the collegiate pace. A high school star from UST, Valdez was dogged by cramps in the latter parts of the game, prompting coach Gorayeb to make sudden substitutions.

The better

The Lady Spikers hunched while singing the alma mater song after losing Game Three, but the future shines brighter than their silver trophy.

All seniors are returning to help push the team to the title next year. Coach Gorayeb will be busy coaching full-time after sustaining a one-year suspension in the NCAA tourney. The winning trend seems to continue to go upwards, and the Lady Spikers, are now poised to unseat La Salle next year, carrying with them finals experience and an even bigger chip on their shoulder.