As one-sided as the rivalry has become, the current generation of DLSU and Ateneo volleyball stars will always look forward to meeting each other on the Taraflex.
When discussing the rise of Philippine volleyball, one of the many catalysts that will always come to mind is the storied Ateneo-DLSU rivalry in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
During its peak, Ateneo and DLSU’s meetings on the Taraflex attracted record-breaking crowds, with fans eager to catch the games that once featured icons such as Alyssa Valdez, Jia Morado-De Guzman, Ara Galang, and Kim Fajardo among many others.
However, in recent years, the rivalry has shifted in DLSU’s favor, with the Lady Spikers holding a 15-game winning streak over the Eagles dating back to UAAP Season 79 in 2017.
While he praised Ateneo’s balanced composition, DLSU head coach Ramil de Jesus admitted how the rivalry has indeed lost its competitiveness since the post-Alyssa Valdez era.
“Kasi sa ngayon ‘yung Ateneo parang walang go-to guy. Yun ‘yung nakikita ko kasi si Alyssa, ibigay mo lang lahat kay Alyssa eh and bubuhayin na ni Alyssa,” De Jesus explained after DLSU’s latest 25-15, 25-14, 25-20, 25-19 win over the Eagles on Wednesday.
“Ngayon, parang walang Alyssa dun sa Ateneo, more even lang ‘yung team ng Ateneo. Kaya distributed lahat ‘yung bola and ‘di mo masasabi na ‘yung Ateneo na hindi mo pupwedeng balewalain kasi distributed ‘yung bola. Before kasi Alyssa, si Alyssa lang talaga babantayan mo,” De Jesus admitted.
While it’s true that DLSU has become the favorites, the respect toward the longstanding rivalry isn’t gone one bit for its current batch of protagonists.
Pride, always
For Lady Spikers captain Angel Canino, the pressure embedded within Ateneo-DLSU rivalry will always be there, especially with the standards planted by the stars that came before this current generation.
“Syempre we have that rivalry, so syempre kailangan mas may dagdag kang pride, may puso kang pakita na kaya pa rin namin panindigan kung ano ‘yung napanindigan ng ilang years ni Coach Ramil,” Canino explained.
Opposite spiker Shevana Laput, meanwhile, acknowledged how the UAAP’s sense of school pride will always factor into this rivalry. When DLSU and Ateneo meet on the Taraflex, it’s also a matter of representing the communities that root for them to get a hard-fought victory.
“It’s more than just playing their team. It’s playing against their school, and it’s representing our school and the whole Lasallian community. For sure, there’s an added bit of pressure, an added bit of pride,” said Laput, who was coming off a 25-point effort against their longtime rival.
Over in the Eagles’ nest, skipper Lyann De Guzman explained how this very pride inspired Ateneo’s comeback attempt on Wednesday, where they stole Set 3 despite lopsided losses to start the contest.
By Set 4, the Katipunan-based spikers also came close to forcing a fifth set, before crucial errors and clutch kills from DLSU’s vets sealed their fate.
“Nandun pa rin, kanina nga na parang nakuha namin ‘yung third set, sabi ko talaga na hindi tayo papayag [matalo]. Sabi ko sa team, sabi ko ‘magfi-fifth set tayo’ pero yun nga, medyo kinapos, tapos medyo ‘yun nga parang hindi kami nag-stick sa system kaya pa on and off kami,” De Guzman said.
“But nakikita ko na di sila magpapatalo [Ateneo]. Siyempre, lumalaban din ‘yung La Salle, ‘di rin sila papayag na matalo.”
Chip on their shoulders
If we’re focusing on Season 87 alone, their pride is now accompanied by the storylines surrounding this batch of DLSU and Ateneo players.
The Lady Spikers are fielding a much younger team for Season 87, with this batch looking to prove themselves as a championship-winning core despite their youth.
“Pinaguusapan nga po namin ‘yung pride habang naglalaro kasi syempre tinatawag nga po kaming rivalry for a reason, so gusto pa rin namin patunayan na kahit marami kaming bago, kahit mga bata pa kami, mayroon pa rin kaming pride na pwedeng pakita as a team,” Canino explained.
For Ateneo, it’s a matter of showing one big fight despite battling through the injury bug. The Eagles are now without spikers Zel Tsunashima and Jlo Delos Santos due to freak injuries, while Sobe Buena was confirmed to have suffered a right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament tear (MCL).
Circling back to the rivalry, this batch of Eagles also remains driven in their attempts to crack the DLSU puzzle once more.
“Siyempre, kung napalagan talaga namin, very, magiging very happy pati ‘yung Ateneo community and alam naman natin yan. But, ‘yun nga, second round ulit and, ‘yun nga, sabi ko nga kanina alam namin yung kung ano ‘yung kakayhan namin,” De Guzman said. “Kailangan lang talaga i-polish, kailangan lang maging consistent and mag-step up ng everyone.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.