Returning the favor, Lady Spikers mingles with fans

After winning another volleyball title in the recently concluded Women’s volleyball tournament, three-time title holder the DLSU Lady Spikers gave time to show appreciation to its growing number of followers on the 9th floor of Enrique Razon Sports Complex at DLSU yesterday.

The meet-and-greet event was open to the public and lines started to form near the entrance of the sports complex hours before the projected start of the occassion. Fans prepared their shirts, volleyball, and other paraphernalia, expecting the Lady Spikers to autograph their belongings.

An estimated count of about 800 fans were enthralled and had smiles on their faces seeing their volleyball idols stage the court. The Taft-based volleybelles interacted with their supporters through games like balloon relay, egg toss and newspaper dance. To a brief dismay of some supporters, fan-favorite Mika Reyes was unable to join the said events, but she showed up after the games. The entire squad also amazed everyone as the ladies showed their dancing skills.

After a short break after the activities, the most-awaited part of the fans started as most of them patiently waited in line to get their volleyball stuff ready and to take a prized picture with a Lady Spiker. One fan mentioned that it was an ecstatic feeling to see the girls she idolized on TV in person.

The three-hour autograph signing and photo opportunities with the Lady Spikers left no disappointed face in their fans as they were even served with free snacks while waiting in line.

Team Captain and Season Co-MVP Abigail Maraño mentioned her sincere appreciation for their fans after the event. She stressed, “Super fun kasi hindi namin in-expect na ganto karami yung dadating. Para to sa mga taong sumosuporta samin and malaman nila pano namin ipakita yung pasasalamat namin sakanila. Kung wala sila [fans], wala rin yung eagerness and motivation naming maglaro ng maganda.”

Joy Lanting and the other organizers from the Office of Sports Development (OSD) were amazed with the hundreds of supporters that managed to find a way to support the Lady Spikers.