Making the impossible possible: The journey of Kim Dy and Dawn Macandili

After a dream season culminating in championship redemption, the DLSU Lady Spikers are back as the darlings of the Philippine volleyball scene. However, DLSU’s quest for a repeat will be an uphill climb with the departure of some of their key players.

Fortunately for the Lady Spikers, Season 78 was the breakout season for two vital cogs, offensive juggernaut Kim Dy and defensive anchor Dawn Macandili.

Starting young

Dy’s volleyball journey began on a normal day back in grade six, when she was walking in front of the gym in De La Salle Zobel. It was then that a member of the volleyball team asked her if she wanted to join. The incoming fourth-year player explains, “Tinry ko lang and then patagal nang patagal na-love ko yung sport hanggang ngayon.”

Macandili, on the other hand, started relatively earlier. In De La Salle Lipa, her older brother was part of the basketball varsity team and she would wait after school for his training to end. While waiting, she would watch her batchmates playing volleyball on the other court, and in fifth grade, they encouraged her to join the team. After two years, her family moved to Alabang, where she would later play for Zobel’s high school team.

Both were unable to have strong starts to their respective high school careers due to various circumstances. Dy’s physique prevented her from becoming an impact player for her team early on while for Macandilli, it was her age.

“Nung first year high school ako, pasok pa kasi yung age ko para sa grade school team so sa grade school team pa ako naglaro,” Macandili says. “Naging spiker pa ako noon.”

Reuniting in second year high school, the two claimed three straight titles from Season 73-75 under head coach Ramil De Jesus. Of all the championships, they believe that their Season 73 victory was the sweetest.

“Super sarap ng feeling nung second year na nanalo kasi ayun yung first-ever na championship namin,” Dy says. “Ang sarap ulit-ulitin ng feeling na yun.”

Moving up the ranks

Due to the fact that their mentor De Jesus was also coaching the seniors’ team in De La Salle University-Manila, they chose to represent the Green-and-White on the collegiate level. Since they were entering a league where better and more mature players rule the floor, they went back to square one.

With the Lady Spikers’ depth, Dy had to work really hard to get into the lineup. In Macandili’s case, Melissa Gohing’s departure prior to Season 76 left a big gap in the Libero spot and three players fought for the two spots on the roster. Macandili never expected to have one of them in her rookie year.

As the two rookies were developing, the team on the other side of the spectrum of the Taft-Katipunan rivalry began dominating the UAAP. La Salle lost two championships in a row against the Ateneo Lady Eagles and they were more than determined to take their opponents out of their throne. In Season 78, their time finally came.

The injuries that ailed DLSU at the beginning of the season were both a blessing and a curse. Due to the absence of some injured players, Dy had to step up. With her new role, she was keen on proving her worth every time she was on the floor.

“Yun na yung opportunity na binigay niya (Coach Ramil) and naisip ko lang na parang i-maintain para ma-build yung trust ni coach sakin,” the Season 78 Finals MVP mentions.

At the conclusion of the elimination round, Macandili was hailed as the league’s best receiver and best digger, testaments to the hard work she put in since her rookie year. “Gusto ko na mabigyan sila (Seniors) ng magandang exit so kailangan ko talaga mag-step up ng performance to help the team make better plays,” she reiterates when asked about her solid play during the season.

Gut-check time

In the Final Four against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, the two began to make waves with their tremendous play, with Dy playing a crucial role on offense and Macandili making key plays on defense. Behind their efforts, DLSU defeated FEU in two games.

After taking down the Lady Tamaraws, the stage was set for the fifth straight DLSU-ADMU Women’s Volleyball Finals series since Season 74. La Salle swept the first finals game in three sets, but Ateneo came back with a devastating five-set win in the second game.

With both teams one win away from victory, Game 3 was sure to be a match for the ages. The Lady Eagles took the first set, but the Lady Spikers managed to stay alive and won the second set. At this point, the two Zobel alumnae, who went through so much to earn their spots, were now hearing cheers from the tens of thousands who came to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

“Yung mindset lang namin is since nandito na kami and super close na kami sa title na we should push ourselves,” Dy explains.

With a championship hanging in the balance, DLSU jumped to an early lead, which only grew thanks to the superb floor defense led by Macandili and the net defense that Dy, who completely went on a tear offensively and defensively in the final set, helped put together.

With the fourth set at 24-16, the Lady Spikers were within a point from clinching the title. Ateneo served the ball to Ara Galang, who calmly received the ball. Galang then led the ball to Kim Fajardo, who placed it directly in front of Dy. Thanks to Fajardo’s perfect setup, Dy approached the ball and hit it towards Bea De Leon and Season 78 MVP Alyssa Valdez. The ball bounced off the league MVP’s hands and went outside, ending the match in DLSU’s favor. After being in Ateneo’s shadow for two straight years, it was a sweet championship victory for the Lady Spikers.

“Mas gusto talaga naming manalo,” Macandili simply says.

With her amazing performance despite a ton of pressure, Dy was named Finals MVP. However, giving a title to the seniors was more important to her than any individual accolade. “We wanted to give them [a title in] their last playing year [para] masaya kami lahat and yun na yung last year na magkasama kami,” she says. “Lahat ng mga struggles namin, lahat ng pinaghirapan namin before [the] season parang eto na yun, eto na yung hinihintay namin, ayun siguro yung motivation naming lahat.”

Now with Season 79 approaching, all eyes will be on the Lady Spikers, with Dy and Macandilli serving as the veteran leaders for their other teammates. “Tulungan yung team na mag-gel and maging as solid even mas solid pa sa team last year,” Macandili says when asked about their goals for the upcoming season.

For the two girls who started from humble beginnings, they now rule the floor of a sport they just wanted to try out back in grade school. With greater things ahead, nothing is impossible for them.