Alleiah Malaluan isn’t putting too much pressure on herself as she officially exits the four corners of De La Salle University.
Alleiah Malaluan was the last to stand up as her batchmates slowly walked into the middle of the DLSU Lady Spikers’ team circle after Game 2 of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Finals last May 14.
After four years, Malaluan’s time as a Lady Spiker had come to a close, joining Baby Jyne Soreño, Jessa Ordiales, and Jules Tolentino as the seniors who would receive an intimate farewell through their season-ending Archers Stance tradition.
With a little support from her best friend Tolentino, Malaluan made the painful decision to join her batchmates and be given an intimate send-off by their younger teammates at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
“Actually, the reason why I walked in there last is because I’m not yet ready to do the Archer Stance, and I wanted to fight pa kasi and parang mag-force sa Game 3, kaso wala eh, hindi ‘yun ‘yung fate samin ni Lord,” Malaluan recalled to The GAME in an exclusive interview.
“Parang hindi ako prepared, kaya ayun, tinatawag pa ako nung best friend ko [Tolentino], kaya sobrang emotional ko lang din talaga.”

Malaluan’s farewell was also the culmination of a tough Season 87 run for the Lady Spikers, who dealt with their share of struggles throughout eliminations, before dispatching the UST Golden Tigresses in the Final Four to set up a long-awaited finals rematch against the NU Lady Bulldogs.
Even if they were brushed off as a “younger” team, Malaluan had been a witness to her team’s combined work ethic, with each Lady Spiker committed to upholding the winning traditions their predecessors had firmly established.
On a more personal level, the pride of Lipa, Batangas, had also gotten closer to her teammates during this stretch, learning how to open up more outside of their weekly trainings and game days.
“[Last] season has been the closest ako talaga sa kanila, because I’m really introverted, so the time na before Season 87 pa, I felt really shocked. Because ayun na, nakikipag-bond na ako, nakikipag-joke na rin ako sa kanila. Tinatawanan ko ‘yung mga sinasabi nila,” Malaluan recalls of her newfound dynamic with the team.
“So parang [Season 87] talaga ako close sa kanila. Which is something na medyo sad. Because noong kailan ko nga last, doon pa ako naging gano’n.“
But as they say, all good things come to a close, and Alleiah Malaluan is now headed into the next chapter of her volleyball career.
Highs and lows
Today, Alleiah Malaluan is one of 60 prospects that have applied for the 2025 PVL Rookie Draft, joining a pool that also includes her teammates in Soreno, Tolentino, and Ordiales, along with a number of familiar rivals in the UAAP led by three-time MVP Bella Belen.
While she had a chance to play a fifth and final year with DLSU, Malaluan’s desire for growth ultimately prevailed, which was coupled with the realization that she isn’t getting any younger as well.
“I feel like I need to grow, and I need a new environment,” Malaluan reflected.
“Growth in a way na to myself na din, kasi syempre lahat tayo tumatanda, so parang, we’re expecting to be like, sensing na we’re growing in a way na we’re living, slowly but surely, the adult life.”
But that’s not to say that Malaluan is any less grateful toward her time as a Lady Spiker, where a promising rookie year in Season 84 was followed by injuries and fluctuating roles for her next three seasons in Taft Avenue.
If anything, these unfavorable circumstances helped sharpen Malaluan’s resolve, whether it was her limited sophomore year in Season 85, or all the unnecessary bashing on social media among many other silent battles.
“It made me strong in a way, mentally, and it’s more on like tiwala sa sarili mo and patience, so the past few years, that’s what I’m always telling myself, na parang ‘di, kaya ko ‘to!. Like tiwala lang ako, and I know who I am,” she says.
“Kilala ko ‘yung sarili ko, and sometimes lang ‘yung expectations natin towards ourselves is like too high, so sometimes you get frustrated.”

Come Season 87, there was also the expectation of being an ate, especially given the younger pieces surrounding DLSU’s core led by captain and Malaluan’s high school teammate, Angel Canino.
More than trying to restore her lethal form, Malaluan’s now-final year came with the task of guiding the next group of players that will take aim for the Lady Spikers.
“That part pa lang na I’m an ate, mayroong expectations and may pressure, na even though coach [Ramil] says na don’t play with pressure, pero you know? It’s just, I pressure myself and I have expectations towards myself because I know what I am capable of,” she reflected.
“Kaya, ayun, I always, like, sa training, I want to be challenged. Gusto ko pag sa training. Lahat kami, healthy competition. Pag training, ‘yung may part na naga–aasaran kami! Mga ganong part, sobrang funny non! So parang gusto ko lang maging role model din sa kanila.”
Challenging as her leadership duties were, Malaluan admits being more “role-centered” once it was all said and done.
“When you have expectations towards yourself, parang you want it to be achieved talaga. Like kahit anong hirap, kahit ilang tries, sige, gagawin ko, para I can be able to achieve it,” she explains.
“And at the same time it helped me be more focused, kasi super dami talaga ng kailangang gawin. So you need to focus on the things you need to do first.”
Starting over again
As she begins the next chapter of her career, Alleiah Malaluan is giving herself some room to stumble and go through the learning curves of being a professional volleyball player.
Of course, there will always be outside expectations, just like when she entered Ramil de Jesus’ Lady Spikers’ program as a top rookie out of Zobel, or when she was a hotly recruited talent coming out of the Palarong Pambansa.
But for Malaluan herself, gone are the days when she had to live up to any lofty standards, and it’s just a matter of figuring out the ins and outs of the professional scene as a complete beginner.
“Parang wala akong masyado iniisip, na I just need to do things that I plan to do, kasi you know what? Parang growing up, you need to resort to things that could help you grow talaga. You need to be out of this box to be able to discover more of yourself, so that’s something that I did, and I feel like that would help me sa pros,” she said.
“Just play freely talaga, like I’ll just play my game. ‘Yan lang talaga ‘yung expectations ko sa sarili ko kasi, you know, I really need to start all over again. And it’s not like naman mabilis na parang ito ka na, and then you’re here na agad. You need to really work hard for it,” added Malaluan, who is just as excited to build new friendships in the professional scene.
Malaluan also thanked the Green and White for one final time, as it was a place that taught her the value of discipline and instilled a winning standard that she will always carry.
Throughout her stay, it also became her second family of younger sisters, who will now continue the quest for redemption by Season 88 next year.
“This is something I should tell myself as well, but [I told them] to just keep believing in yourself because you know who you guys are, kasi they’re really great, all of them. All of them are really skilled, and it’s just on how you believe in yourself and how confident you are in your capabilities,” she says.

As for herself, another part of Alleiah Malaluan’s post-UAAP commitments are her Alas Pilipinas duties, being one of nine past and present Lady Spikers that were included in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation’s (PNVF) 33-woman national team wishlist.
By the time of the interview, Malaluan was coming off her first training with the nationals, where she had already received initial mentorship from veterans Jia Morado-de Guzman and Lady Spikers icon Dawn Macandili-Catindig.
“It feels great actually, kasi since my rookie year, I’m always on that list, and hindi lang talaga ako makapunta because of the circumstances. But this time around, I’m really grateful, kasi mae-expose din ako on an international level sana,” said Malaluan, who was fresh off ball control drills with the Alas coaching staff at the time.
A true-blooded Lasallian, Malaluan couldn’t hide her excitement when asked about the number of Lady Spikers eyed for the current national team iteration.
“Dun pa lang sa [nine DLSU players] kami na na-invite, it says a lot sa program ni Coach Ramil, because La Salle has been known to have a good program here in the Philippines, so parang doon pa lang, grabe din talaga na ma-look up ‘yung La Salle,” Malaluan proudly added, with ex-teammates Canino, Thea Gagate, and Fifi Sharma being mainstays under the Alas banner.
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau, Cas Aseoche.