Before Season 76 began, nobody expected the Ateneo Women’s Volleyball Team (AWVT) to make the finals, much less bag the crown. The season was supposed to be a transition period for the AWVT after the departure of the Fab 5 and the hiring of new head coach Tai Bundit. However, the AWVT defied all the odds to pull off a Cinderella run.
For Jia Morado, what really brought the Lady Eagles together was Coach Tai’s rigorous training process. “He set a high standard for all of us, but we felt that if we could overcome his expectations and training, playing the game would be easier,” shared Morado.
Another factor Morado noted was the general positive atmosphere within the team. During their straight-set loss to NU in the opening game of the season, Coach Tai greeted the team with praises, making sure that they were focused more on the process rather than the result. “It was so weird. He was happy. [The team was] wondering why, but he said we gave our best regardless [of the outcome],” recalled Morado.
As the season progressed, the positive atmosphere was slowly coined into the heartstrong mantra that the team embodied. “Coach Tai didn’t have a lot of words, especially in Season 76. The words he had were really simple and easy to understand, like power, faster, confidence, happy. But heartstrong is something he tells us when he tests us or when we have to go through something really hard in training or something that causes anxiety,” said Morado.
After finishing the elimination round at third place with a 10-4 record, the team easily dispatched the fourth-seeded Adamson University Lady Falcons in straight sets to set up a date with NU.
In the second semi-finals, the Lady Eagles faced a tall task against an NU squad who had a twice-to-beat advantage over Ateneo. However, the team’s resilience and determination pushed them to overcome the odds, defeating NU twice in four sets to schedule a third straight finals meeting against DLSU.
“Everyone started jumping [and] screaming, I also dropped and covered my face and started crying because no one could believe it.”
Jia Morado
In a tale of David versus Goliath, Ateneo was tasked to overcome DLSU’s thrice-to-beat advantage. Game one saw the Lady Spikers dominate Ateneo in the first set, 17-25, just as many volleyball fans and critics expected. However, much to everyone’s surprise, the Lady Eagles recovered, snagging the next three sets to snap DLSU’s 30-game win streak.
“We just played [game one] like it’s just a regular game. Just stick to the game plan, everything we do in training, we [brought] it to the court,” shared Morado.
Not wanting to lose back-to-back games, DLSU fired back in game two with a tough four-set win, bringing the Lady Spikers to just one win away from the title.
Desperate to keep Ateneo’s dream for gold alive, Season MVP Alyssa Valdez willed her team to a fiery start in game three by snatching the first two sets from the defending champions. Despite a strong comeback effort from DLSU, Ateneo’s offense coupled with Kim Fajardo’s double-touch error were enough for the Blue and White to eke out a heartstopping five-set win and force a deciding game four.
In the culmination of an epic series, Ateneo and DLSU went into the much anticipated game four with guns blazing. With adrenaline rushing and the players pumped up, the Lady snatched the first two sets, 25-23, 26-24. Riding their momentum into the final set of the season, the Lady Eagles scored kill after kill to erect a 20-13 lead. Despite a late comeback attempt from the defending champions, Valdez’s crosscourt hit sealed DLSU’s fate, as the Lady Eagles claimed the University’s first-ever Women’s Volleyball crown.
“Everyone started jumping [and] screaming, I also dropped and covered my face and started crying because no one could believe it,” recalled Morado.
As the title kickstarted the Lady Eagles’ status as a volleyball powerhouse, Season 76’s Cinderella run will forever be remembered as one of the most improbable championship campaigns in UAAP Volleyball history.
