All Out, All Heart for Alyssa Valdez and the Ateneo Lady Eagles

To all Ateneo volleyball fans, on UAAP Women’s Volleyball Finals Game 2:

Whether you’ll be watching from the arena stands or from your home seats, I pray you cheer your hearts out for the Ateneo Lady Eagles like it’s their last game. Well, for all we know, it can actually be for this season. The better reason why we should go all out for the team we love.

Like many of you who had watched them play all season long up to the playoffs, I am not confident of a win. They’re certainly capable of hoisting another championship trophy but odds were not really in their favor. I certainly miss Ella and Denden on the floor but the two veterans had to go last year and the team was left with weak defenses. I would have loved every game with potential heirs Mich and Kat in it but they were out this season. I witnessed Maddie’s promising bloom but it was unfortunately cut short by an injury. Overall, they had no solid roles with the movements in the line-up, yet with all these factors and a number more I haven’t mentioned, they were still able to pull off a top seeder. And they are at the Finals again. You can attest to it. With all the stumbling blocks, Ateneo Lady Eagles is still nothing short of incredible, only that the team is met with the hungrier, more improved than ever La Salle rivals.

The Lady Spikers definitely deserved that Game 1 win but our girls did not deserve the relative silence of their own crowd. I was frustrated that afternoon in Araneta Coliseum witnessing the sea of blue unmoving against the very supportive green fans. Blue Babble Battalion was even drowned out by Alyfinity members who were the only organized band that delivered the more consistent cheer for the Ateneo. I felt that we already lost halfway through the game. And so the greens knocked us off.

But I forgive the situation. It doesn’t make sense anymore to put the blame around. There were even probably legit reasons why the Ateneo crowd wasn’t loud (and maybe for them, it wouldn’t matter anyway), but for this coming do-or-die game, I know the crowd will bounce back strong as the Lady Eagles will. It’s not just for the team but for the many other Ateneo fans all over the country who would have wanted to see the Lady Eagles live but cannot. It is also, if I may, for the young fans I met last January –  Bakhita, Francine, Charles Darwin, and Marian – of Barangay Concepcion in Arteche, Eastern Samar, one of the country’s farthest corners that is surprisingly a solid Ateneo fanbase. They too will be all out for Ateneo. Shout and cheer for them. I have so much faith in the blue crowd that they will bring a bigger cheer as the Lady Eagles will bring a bigger fight.

Finals Game 2 might be Alyssa Valdez’s last game. It might be Amy’s and Mae’s last game too. I wouldn’t want that to happen. They certainly deserve another chance for the gold, for a final vow at Game 3. I know they will give their best to take that chance and we fans should be at best too.

Yes, I am hungry got a Game 3. I am hungry for Championship No. 3.

But win or lose, the Lady Eagles are already worthy of the highest sports recognition for the epic run they made. Consistent Finals appearance and individuals plums as cherries on top. Alyssa Valdez is even set to receive her third MVP Award, atop all the other medals and titles she garnered. And what I love about them most is that they have inspired a “happy” attitude and culture that made volleyball an even more loved and enjoyed sport in the Philippines. They as a team had made the past years memorable and inspiring and built a foundation that made us fans feel assured of their sustained greatness. A loss wouldn’t have given us the rare 3-peat we wanted but it would leave us with no doubt for their continued success in the future.

The Lady Eagles gifted us with so many remarkable moments that made us fans feel part of an unforgettable history. It’s opportune that for all they have done for us that we gift them with our loudest and deepest cheers, especially for those who will be holding their last ground for us – Mae Tajima, Amy Ahomiro, and the phenomenal Alyssa Valdez. Let’s thank them with our loudest (but happiest) One Big Fight because it is going to be a truly one big fight of the year.

I am hungry for a Game 2 win but  maybe the win is not eveything that mattered. We have celebrated and loved the game of volleyball already, thanks to the #HeartStrong spirit of the greatest volleyball club of our time – our Ateneo Lady Eagles. Together with them, let’s make Game 2 a day to remember by being all out, all heart. But win or lose, it is always the Lady Eagles we choose.