It was a hectic 24 hours for head coach Dante Alinsunurin as he steered both the NU Bulldogs and Choco Mucho Flying Titans to huge victories.
On Saturday, March 15, Dante Alinsunurin was in the midst of steering Choco Mucho to a reverse sweep against the PLDT High Speed Hitters in Game 1 of the 2024-25 PVL All-Filipino quarterfinals.
Led by Sisi Rondina’s 31 huge points, the Flying Titans emerged victorious against the High Speed Hitters in a 20-25, 19-25, 25-15, 25-20, 18-16 thriller which lasted from 7:20 p.m. to 9:41 p.m. at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.
Less than 24 hours later, Alinsunurin made his way to the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, where his longtime UAAP team, the NU Bulldogs, were set for a finals rematch against the UST Golden Spikers at 9 a.m.
“Gumising ako ng mga 6 [on Sunday], tas mga 7, umalis na ako ng bahay [to go to Araneta],” Alinsunrin told The GAME, while confirming that he got home at 11:30 p.m. from the Choco Mucho-PLDT five-setter.
“Then ayun, nakatulog naman ako nang maayos, then bago pa naman kami pumunta rito, mga ilang araw ko na rin napag-aralan itong UST,” he added.
Alinsunurin’s Bulldogs ended up winning in four sets against the pesky UST 16-25, 25-20, 25-21, 29-27, overcoming a lethargic Set 1 and UST’s comeback bid in Set 4 to end their first-round campaign with a 6-1 record, good for second against the unbeaten FEU Tamaraws.
Captain Leo Aringo led the Bulldogs’ offense with 13 points and seven digs, while sophomore hitter Jade Disquitado continued his return to form with 12 points and 16 excellent receptions.
Rookie setter Jeffe Gallego excelled once more with 21 excellent sets, as he also activated Alas Pilipinas stalwarts Michaelo Buddin (11 points) and Peng Taguibolos (10 points) in the winning cause.
Coaching for two top-flight volleyball programs isn’t easy, but it’s these types of victories that remind Alinsunurin that the grind can and will always be worth it at the end of the day.
“Well, eto ‘yung mga sitwasyon na kahit sobrang pagod mo, basta every time na may maganda, nawawala talaga eh! Parang sobrang thankful, grateful ako dun sa nagiging sitwasyon. And sakin lang, basta tatrabahuhuin ko ulit ano pa ‘yung pwedeng ayusin pagdating sa pagtuturo ng mga player ko,” he reflected.
“Mas lalo akong gaganahan sa ganitong sitwasyon na nakikita ko ‘yung resulta ng bawa’t tinatrabaho namin everyday then pagdating ng game, makukuha namin yung gusto namin makuha,” he said.
Making his wins much sweeter was the high-stakes nature of both Choco Mucho and NU’s respective games. The five-setter against PLDT allowed the Flying Titans to inch closer to a PVL semifinals berth, while the Bulldogs’ continued dominance against the Golden Spikers allowed them to enter Round 2 of the Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament as the solo second seed.
“Pareho ngang mabigat! Sabi ko nga, palagi ako nagpapasalamat sa taas, na binibigay sakin ‘yung lakas ng loob na every time na may ganitong sitwasyon, may challenges, ‘di ako pinapabayaan,” he happily said. “Sobrang thankful ako lahat, ‘di lang naman sa mga players, pero pati sa mga coaches and sa lahat ng sumusuporta samin.”
Balancing act
On top of these victories, coaching in both men’s and women’s volleyball has also been beneficial to Dante Alinsunurin’s career. If you’ve followed both divisions of this sport, you may notice that the men’s game relies more on power and features faster-paced matches, as compared to the finesse in the women’s game.
NU is also a college team that includes much younger players, while Choco Mucho is a veteran-laden crew that has experienced the highs and lows of professional volleyball.
“Like nung sa men’s team, kailangan everytime na magko-coach ako, kailangan ako lang ‘yung sisigaw, and ‘yung mindset ko talaga is kailangan ko maging mahigpit [with NU] then sa women’s kailangan ko maging maluwag. Pero ngayon, na-apply ko na rin na hindi ko na kailangan lagi akong mahigpit, o dapat laging maluwag,” he explained.
“Dapat nage-enjoy kasi alam natin ‘yung mga responsibilidad ng mga bata. Siguro ‘yun ‘yung nagbago sakin, nababalanse ko na kung paano ako mag-coach sa men’s team.”
Alinsunurin has been the NU Bulldogs’ coach for 10 years now and has delivered six UAAP championships along with developing men’s volleyball stars such as Bryan Bagunas, Vince Mangulabnan, Peter Torres, and the recently graduated tandem of Owa Retamar and Nico Almendras.
As the Flying Titans’ mentor since 2023, Alinsunurin has steered the fan-favorite crew to two straight PVL finals appearances in the All-Filipino Conference.
“Sobrang…nababalase ko lahat na pag ito ang kailangan ng isang player ko, kailangan ng isang team ko and nagiging parang ito yung barometer ko, ito ‘yung situation dapat, ito yung nangyari dyan. At bakit ito yung nangyari? Alam mo yon, more on laking tulong pa rin sa akin kahit magkaiba ng dynamics, mabilis o mabagal, since volleyball pa rin naman ‘yan, na kung ano pa rin gusto mong gawin sa loob ng court,” he shared.
Banner Images courtesy of the Premier Volleyball League.