Maddie Madayag currently plays an important role for the Choco Mucho Titans, who remain undefeated in the PVL Invitational Conference standings. Aside from that she has also been a key member of the women’s national volleyball team. But really, she was molded into becoming the reliable player that she is as a member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles back in college.
On Sunday night, the 25-year-old middle blocker shared on Instagram a picture of a bench taken from the Ateneo campus that brought back memories of their team's training routine during her UAAP days.
“This is where I usually sit at 5:45 a.m. Hoping and praying that Coach Tai won’t be there so we won’t have to run in the morning. Only to find out he’s already there, waiting for us while walking around the oval with his pink Nike running shoes,” Madayag wrote for a caption on her Instagram story.
She then ended her post by laughing off what she called “anxiety-filled memories.”
The Coach Tai she was referring to was none other than beloved former Ateneo mentor Tai Bundit. The decorated Thai tactician started bringing the winning tradition to the Blue Eagles’ women’s program, having led the women's squad to its first ever UAAP volleyball championship in Season 76.
The 5-foot-11 stunner may have dreaded her early morning runs back when she was still a student-athlete. However, she understands how much she grew under Coach Tai’s tutelage as she became part of Ateneo’s championship team in Season 77.
Soon, the moniker Madzilla stuck with her as she helped her school finish at the podium in the next four years, which included another crown in her final collegiate campaign.
(GM)