In the last 15 years, Philippine women’s volleyball went from UAAP campus craze to pro league-flaunting national obsession. Many would argue that one Batangueña led the sport to its astronomic ascent, where it boasts the kind of arena-packing fan hysteria that foreign volleyball nations are envious of. To spike a phenomenon, after all, a “phenom” is sometimes necessary.
Relentless as it’s been, the rain will have to work a little harder to keep Filipino volleyball fans at bay. Despite the downpour and the gridlock that’s formed around Pasig’s PhilSports Arena, a sizable crowd has gathered, spilling past the steps that lead up the entryway.
Across three unnervingly close sets, PLDT commands roars from the crowd as it threatens the Cool Smashers’ lead, but Creamline ignites something wilder in fans. From Galanza’s effortless saves to Tots Carlos’s blitzkrieg moves, ice-blue hair like lightning with every swift block or spike, the crowd becomes positively feral. The drum line erupts. Foam noodles flicker. The PhilSports Arena becomes a pulsating mass of pink.
To someone in the audience, the team’s warmth is so palpable, it’s as if you’re part of their hopeful huddle. So that even as the rain rages outside, you, like the thousands who’ve attended today, feel like you belong to something. Valdez still remembers when her games drew just a handful of spectators. What started as a way to kill time as a kid became a preoccupation at the University of Sto. Tomas, when her name lured scouts as early as the fifth grade. “In my high school or early college days, hindi rin talaga namin napupuno yung arena,” she remembers. Back then, even her basketball-loving family barely followed the game.
To the players, Coach Tai’s tough training program was mainly a source of exasperation, where their locker room rants strengthened their camaraderie. But by UAAP Season 76, Valdez and the Lady Eagles demonstrated exactly what “Heart strong” meant.
By now, fans were well aware of Valdez’s modest rural upbringing, growing up in a rickety home surrounded by dusty fields. To see a gangly girl from San Juan, Batangas soar while striking down any odds pelted against her? That can be intoxicating to someone who comes from similar means. And if she remains wide-eyed and gracious no matter her countless triumphs, even more so.
“Before, you’d give your all in the UAAP, then you get a job and work your ass off after college, diba?” Valdez says of the dead end that college athletes once met after graduating. “Now, there’s a professional league and volleyball is a career—a sustainable career for the next years, or decades.” “When the PVL was broadcast on TV, the fans followed,” says the PVL’s commissioner, Tony Boy Liao. “Whether it’s in Mall of Asia or PhilSports, you’ll really see the fans go wild from players just entering the court. Wala pang ginagawang maayos [ang players], nagsisigawan na yung mga fans.”
“Hindi pwedeng wala ako dun sa game,” she says of the role she’s assumed in raising pep among fans, especially when Wong and the rest of Choco Mucho’s Flying Titans need it most. “Lalo na ‘pag apektado ang score. ’Pag sinabi kong tumayo, tatayo. ‘Pag sinabi kong hiyaw, kailangan nating humiyaw.” The last time the Philippine women’s team placed in the SEA Games was the bronze it won in 2005, a good decade before the sport picked up public interest once more.
Gonzalez, whose sports coverage on Cignal TV now includes professional men’s league, The Spiker’s Turf, believes a bustling men’s volleyball realm in the Philippines may even give rise to its own version of Valdez. “Maybe, just maybe, there will be that one guy — or even a group of players — who will grab people’s attention,” he says. “That’s where it starts.”
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Fully-healthy Converge rookie Schonny Winston excited to team up with UAAP rivalsFormer UAAP MVP frontrunner Schonny Winston bares his excitement to play with former college rivals in the PBA with new home team Converge and confidently says his condition is at 100%
Read more »
Duterte shares insights on Philippine education at Seoul summitIn a forum in South Korea, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Thursday gave her insights on how
Read more »
Philippine Estates Corporation issues Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders • BMPlusA broader look at today\u2019s business
Read more »
South Korean shipbuilder offers submarines to Philippine NavyHanwha Ocean, a South Korean shipbuilding and offshore company, plans to participate in the Philippine Navy's modernization efforts, focusing on
Read more »
PH government plans research expedition to West Philippine SeaThe plan comes following an underwater survey that found damage in Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal after Chinese maritime militia were seen in the area
Read more »