As Roma Mae Doromal takes on the mantle as the Ateneo women’s volleyball team captain, a new chapter also unfolds for the Blue Eagles.
If there’s one thing that libero Roma Mae Doromal wants her teammates in the Ateneo Blue Eagles women’s volleyball team to learn, it’s to speak up.
After the departure of star players in Faith Nisperos and Vanie Gandler, it was up to Doromal to step up as captain.
“Siyempre super grateful ako and blessed to have this privilege na ma-lead sila. And at the same time, ‘di siya smooth sailing,” Doromal shared in an interview with One Sports and the UAAP Varsity Channel.
The Blue Eagles missed the Final Four in Season 85, placing sixth with a 4-10 record.
Ateneo has fallen quite some distance after the championships in Seasons 76 to 77, and in Season 81.
But Doromal and AC Miner gained valuable experience in the international scene, playing for the Philippines against neighboring powerhouses Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia in the SEA V-League.
Now, Doromal will be bringing in the lessons from those matches and integrating them with the lessons from Ateneo’s new coach–the Philippine men’s volleyball team tactician Sergio Veloso.
“Challenging talaga siya to lead a rebuilding team and specifically bago rin ‘yung coach namin. So far naman kaya naman and at the same time with the help of my teammates, ‘di naman sila mahirap i-lead,” Doromal shared.
“At si coach din, ‘di naman niya pinapahirapan ‘yung trabaho ko [as a captain]. Masaya naman and super grateful ako na ma-lead sila.”
The floor defense specialist aims to guide the younger players by being more vocal on the volleyball court and encouraging communication to keep the squad in sync in movement.
“'Yung one thing na gusto ko maiwan sa team is ‘yung pagiging vocal. Gusto ko sana ‘yung mga seniors ko now na kasama ko mag-lead, maging mas vocal pa sila and hopefully makuha ‘yun ng mga bata na rookie namin," she expressed.
“Matutunan nila and mapasa nila sa susunod na generations.”
(With reports from Julio Sampedro, UAAP Varsity Channel)