The pain from losing a bright young core will now serve as fuel for the UE Lady Warriors in their UAAP Season 87 campaign.
It will be back to square one for the UE Lady Warriors in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament after suffering major setbacks throughout the offseason.
The Lady Warriors saw the departure of its young core ahead of Season 87, with the California Academy quartet of rising star Casiey Dongallo, Jelai Gajero, Kizzie Madriaga, and Jennalyn Umayam transferring to the UP Lady Maroons along with their longtime coach Dr. Obet Vital.
Heartbreaking as it was, the team’s holdovers have since treated this setback as their motivation for the upcoming Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
“It’s a hard thing po kasi I thought po na ‘yun na ‘yung lineup na kami ‘yung magsi-stay sa lineup na ‘yun,” spiker Khy Cepada said during the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Volleyball press conference on Thursday. “Ginawa na lang po namin siya na positive thing, and just like [interim head coach Alan Mendoza] said, ‘di naman kami iniwan ni Doc Obet na walang-wala po, we still have the pieces to play and show what we are capable of.”
Along with Cepada, still in Recto are the likes of star middle blocker Riza Nogales and Angelica Reyes, who are expected to banner the depleted Lady Warriors core starting this February 15 against the UP Lady Maroons.
For his part, Mendoza believes this exodus can lead to added opportunities within the UE camp, which will add rookies Roan Enriquez, Keisha Famulagan, and transferee Tin Ecalla for Season 87.
“So ‘yung mga nangyari samin the past month and past weeks, we treat it as motivation para samin and nilolook at namin siya as positive na kung saan magiging chance para sa iba na magshine and ma-activate lahat ng players na mayroon kami ngayon,” said Mendoza, who was Vital’s longtime deputy with California Academy.
And as early as now, both Mendoza and Cepada stressed that there are no hard feelings against their former teammates. In fact, they’re even excited to open their Season 87 campaign against the Lady Maroons this Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Facing the “CAL girls” will have to wait until Season 88, but now is the perfect time to show that UE still has some fight left in them as well.
“Wala naman po hard feelings kasi we know the real reason behind it, and it’s great lang din na makakalaban po namin ‘yung UP tapos ‘yun nga po, first game pa talaga,” said Cepada.
Mendoza, meanwhile, will be facing his longtime mentor Vital for the first time after spending many years together on the sidelines.
“Syempre nakaka-proud kasi syempre dati nasa sideline niya ako. But ngayon magkalaban na kami. Sabi naman niya [Vital] is masaya siya and masaya din ako na siya yung una ko makakalaban dito sa UAAP,” Mendoza said.
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.