2005 & 2007 DLSU Lady Spikers: In victory and defeat

It is undeniable that the DLSU Volleyball team has produced some of the best volleyball players of the country today. Whether they are currently in the collegiate league or in the professional arena, the likes of DLSU Lady Spikers Mika Reyes and Ara Galang as well as former stars Abigail Maraño and Michele Gumabao always impress the crowd through their immense talents and skills.

But before these ladies ruled the volleyball court, the Green-and-White was donned by Lady Spiker legends like Manilla Santos, Jacqueline Alarca, Desiree Hernandez and Shermaine Peñano. It’s been almost a decade since these former Lady Spikers played for their alma mater, and as the UAAP Season 77 volleyball tournament draws closer, The LaSallian relives how this team developed to become one of the best in the league.

2005: Looking back to the first three-peat

It was in UAAP Season 68 when the Lady Spikers were on top of the heap despite the departure of three-time MVP Maureen Penetrante. They were able to enter the Final Four together with other semifinalists AdU, FEU and UST. Determined to get their third straight title, they conquered the AdU Lady Falcons, the only team who defeated them in the first elimination round, to add another championship trophy in their case.

Being one of the best defensive teams in the league, the La Salle squad used their height and blocking skills to their advantage. Game one of the championship series went to the Taft-based squad as they beat Adamson in three straight sets, with the third set limiting the Lady Falcons to just seven points. Game Two sealed La Salle’s third straight championship after overpowering the Lady Falcons in just four sets.

With Hernandez and Santos being hailed as the MVPs, Chie Saet as the Best Setter and Shermaine Peñano as the Best Libero in that season, La Salle definitely showed a powerhouse cast. Santos was a volleyball icon during her UAAP years with the Lady Spikers. In fact, she is the first and only La Salle volleyball player up to this time to have her jersey number retired. Her retired number 14 jersey can be found in the rafters of the ninth floor of the Enrique Razon Building along with the retired jerseys of the other basketball greats of DLSU.

In addition to these veteran players, volleyball fans got to see the performance of then rookies Michelle Datuin and Jacqueline Alarca who eventually continued the legacy of the champion squad.

2007: Failed redemption

In 2007, DLSU faced a fresh UAAP season after being suspended from all the sporting events of the league in 2006. It was a comeback year for the University’s famed men’s basketball team, the DLSU Green Archers, as they won the championship behind former La Salle cagers JVee Casio, Rico Maierhofer, TY Tang and Cholo Villanueva. However, it was a totally different story for head coach Ramil De Jesus and his Lady Spikers as they faced a controversy involving star player Alarca.

Entering UAAP season 70, the Taft-based volleybelles were in high spirits to redeem themselves after the 2006 suspension. Bannering the former three-peat champions were veterans Saet, Santos, Alarca, Datuin, Celine Hernandez and Stephanie Mercado.

They opened the season on a high note with two straight wins against the UP Lady Maroons and the UE Lady Warriors. However, they suffered a series of misfortunes later on in the tournament. La Salle lost four straight games against FEU, ADMU, former finals opponents AdU and UST.

The dream of the Lady Spikers to get back in the Finals were suddenly shattered due to an issue about the playing eligibility of veteran Alarca. It was discovered by the UAAP that Alarca continues to play for the team during that season despite being in a Leave of Absence (LOA) in the University. In the league’s rules, a player must be enrolled in the school he or she is representing in order to be eligible to play. With the violation of the UAAP rules, all victories of the Lady Spikers from January 2008 up to the time that the UAAP found out Alarca’s standing were nullified.

Before the end of the season, the Lady Spikers were able to play and win their last game against UE. In the end, they concluded the season at seventh place with a poor 3-11 win-loss record. The squad didn’t go home empty handed though as Celine Hernandez took home the Best Blocker award.

The Lady Spikers may have gone through tough times but this definitely served as a building block for them to achieve the kind of team they are now. This may be the Ara Galang and Mika Reyes era but the legacy of the Lady Spiker greats will continue to live.