The Lady Spikers know what it will take to go back-to-back.
If there’s one thing fans learned from UAAP Season 85, it’s to never doubt the DLSU Lady Spikers.
After their short departure from the mountaintop, the Lady Spikers again showed why they are indeed the most dominant program in the league, reclaiming their throne in UAAP women’s volleyball.
While the reigning UAAP women’s volleyball champions may have seen some of their star veterans depart from the team, the Taft-based squad is still oozing with talent who are ready to prove themselves on the big stage.
Head coach: Ramil De Jesus
Key losses: Jolina Dela Cruz, Mars Alba, Fifi Sharma, Justine Jazareno
Key returnees: Angel Canino, Thea Gagate, Julia Coronel, Shevana Laput, Alleiah Malaluan
Season 85 record: 13-1 (Champions)
Winning a championship in the UAAP is already a difficult task, but defending that title and going back-to-back is much harder, although it is far from impossible.
After a near-perfect campaign last year, high expectations are once again set for La Salle, more specifically to their new team captain Julia Coronel.
But the 5-foot-9 setter is not one to be fazed by the bright lights that come with leading the Lady Spikers.
”Coming off from a Season 85 championship, that is also a big pressure of filling in the shoes of ate Mars Alba, but I feel that along the way, I was able to get a hang of it,” Coronel told One Sports. “As team captain, for me, goal ko talaga na ma-lead ko 'yung team na ito into this upcoming UAAP season into another championship.”
By now, coach Ramil De Jesus and the rest of the La Salle coaching staff know what needs to be done to make sure that the team is ready for their title defense.
But more than the preparations, it’s the mentality of the Lady Spikers that makes them all the more dangerous come Season 86.
“Last year, kami 'yung naghahabol pero ngayon kami naman 'yung hinahabol ng ibang teams. So, that's gonna take twice or thrice the amount of effort that we exerted last season, so I feel like that's a really big challenge for the team right now,” said Coronel.
“We're really hungry for the championship. We don't want to stop with just 'yung championship namin last season. We want to make it back-to-back, so we're working twice as hard this season and I just feel everyone's in on it. Everyone's up for the challenge, everyone's ready,” she added.
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Can the Lady Spikers grab their 13th UAAP title this season? We’ll soon find out.