Desiree Cheng: Conquering the big stage

To kick off 2014, The LaSallian brings to you five athletes that you may have heard about over the duration of the year gone by for their accomplishments in their respective sports. Despite their impressive body of work though, these five Lasallians have barely scratched the surface, and they are poised to have a breakout campaign during the year 2014. If you haven’t heard of these athletes, it’s time to take note because they just might become the next big Lasallian superstar.

With the departure of veteran Lady Spikers Michele Gumabao, Wensh Tiu and Melissa Gohing, many fans and spectators anticipated the arrival of the rookies who will join the three-time defending UAAP Volleyball champions. A lot of people waited to see what these ladies can do and how they would establish their own identity as a DLSU Lady Spiker. One of them didn’t take any longer to show what she’s got notable for, and that is in the person of rookie Desiree Cheng.

Cheng, as the lone rookie introduced in the starting lineup, contributed seven points for La Salle’s eventual victory during their first game of the season against the AdU Lady Falcons. For her, being part of the starting six is a great experience. “Syempre nakaka-overwhelm at tsaka masaya. Tsaka syempre, nakaka-excite. Tapos being part of the DLSU Lady Spikers, ibang klaseng [experience],” she says.

The Hope Christian High School graduate is a Lasallian by heart and has always wanted to study in DLSU for her college education. “Ever since, La Salle is my dream school talaga. So talagang sabi ko, kahit na I’m not playing volleyball pa, gusto ko talagang mag-La Salle,” she explains. Other schools like ADMU and UP wanted to recruit her for their respective volleyball teams but when DLSU invited her to play for the Lady Spikers, Cheng heartily grabbed the opportunity.

Now that she has finally made it into her dream school and its reputable women’s volleyball team, Cheng sees that her important role for the Lady Spikers is to constantly contribute and give her best in each and every game. She shares, “Siguro yung macontribute ko kung ano yung kaya kong icontribute for the team para maabot namin yung naabot nila last three years [at] tsaka magawa ko yung part ko as a rookie.”

Amidst great expectations and big responsibilities, Cheng is always reminded by head coach Ramil de Jesus that what she does is all for God’s glory and at the same time, for her own good. Cheng notes her coach’s advice of not giving up easily especially when encountering difficulties in training. She adds, “Hindi dapat sinusukuan kaagad. Dapat always strive harder at tsaka mapakita ko talaga kung ano yung kaya ko sa team.”

It may be too early to tell but Cheng sees herself as a part of a continuously dominant champion team this year and the future seasons to come. “We’re going to be champions pa rin syempre,” she says with a laugh. She continues, “Aalagaan namin yun na maging champion yung DLSU Lady Spikers.”