For the past three seasons, the DLSU Green Spikers have lived on the edge of contention in the UAAP Men’s Volleyball Tournament, close enough to dream, but never quite to break through. Despite the Final Four appearances, the Taft-based squad has yet to finish the story they set in motion.
As the UAAP Season 88 approaches, the Green Spikers find themselves at a pivotal reset point as fans eagerly anticipate their return. The suspense grew sharper as La Salle delivered a remarkable runner-up finish in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge. But rather than chasing immediate redemption, the Green Spikers enter the season focused on something more fundamental—building an enduring identity.
Recalibrating the Animo
With immense pressure surrounding the team, the upcoming season is a clean slate for the Green Spikers, one defined less by talent and more by collective adjustment. There is no denying that the Green-and-White boasts a wealth of skill drawn from diverse backgrounds, but with a roster dominated by young faces, chemistry remains their central challenge. However, this composition also serves as the team’s clearest opportunity for growth.
The 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge’s Most Valuable Player and Best Outside Hitter Chris Hernandez (III, BS-MGT) acknowledges that the team’s cohesion is still a work in progress. “‘Yung malaking adjustment na kailangan naming punan [ay] ’yung rebuilding [ng] team and [pagkilala] namin sa isa’t isa,” Hernandez shares, pointing to the difficulty of aligning teammates who are only beginning to understand each other’s tendencies.
(The major adjustment we need to address is rebuilding the team and getting to know one another.)
Despite this learning curve, there is a strong sense of belief in what the Green Spikers can achieve. Middle blocker Issa Ousseini (II, AB-SPM) established the team’s mindset of unity in the upcoming season, reflecting the broader transition from relying on individual flashes to committing fully to role-based volleyball.
The shifting attitude reframed how the players approach development. Rather than focusing on personal skill sets, the emphasis pivoted to becoming dependable across all facets of the game. Hernandez stressed this balance, noting, “Ayaw ko na may ginagawa akong hindi ko kaya… balance-balance lang sila to help the team.”
(I don’t want to do things that I am not capable of…these just need to be balanced to help the team.)
Learning to carry the weight
Three consecutive seasons in fourth place have left the Green Spikers with no room for excuses. For them, the repeated podiumless finishes are not a statistic, but a mirror that reflected where the team needed refinement. For Hernandez, he does not dwell on those seasons with bitterness and instead, speaks of discipline that manifests after a day of long drills. “Ang kailangan talaga ng team is disiplina sa sarili… ‘yung pag-aalaga sa katawan at sa mental health,” emphasizing the importance of taking care of both their body and mind.
(What the team truly needs is self-discipline… by taking care of the body and mental health.)
That awareness has reshaped how the Taft-based squad approaches pressure as they belong in a program burdened by expectations of finally landing a podium finish. For Libero Sherwin Retiro (II, AB-SPM), learning to exist under that pressure meant redefining where it comes from. “Pinatatatag ko lang talaga ‘yung sarili ko para ‘yung pressure, hindi siya ‘yung lumamang,” As opposed to letting expectations dictate performance, Retiro believes control begins with one’s internal self.
(I strengthen myself so pressure would not overpower me.)
Hernandez also shares a similar mindset, particularly when it comes to blocking out external noise. Instead of measuring himself by awards and past recognition, he places pressure only where he believes it belongs—on daily discipline and steady improvement. “Tinitignan ko na lang ‘yung sarili ko araw araw kung nadisiplina ba ako or kung nag-i-improve ba ako.” These perspectives will eventually guide the team’s offseason preparations, which leaned less toward reinvention and more toward reinforcement.
(I just look at myself every day to see if I was disciplined or improving.)
Despite the growing expectations, Hernandez maintains that the team’s focus must stay grounded. “Gagawin naman namin ’yung best namin, ’wag lang ma-pressure na kailangan mag-third, mag-second, or mag-champion,” he stated. The lessons of the past seasons are no longer abstract; they ought to live in discipline, mental growth, and the ability to filter pressure rather than absorb it. Entering the season, they become more aware of what they carry and steadier in how they move forward.
(We’ll do our best without pressuring ourselves that we have to place third, second, or win it all.)
Up against the standard
The departure of long-time veterans marked a turning point for the Green Spikers, leaving both heightened expectations and a void in leadership. As the Green-and-White continue to walk ahead without the pillars who once bolstered the program, the spotlight now falls on the players stepping into expanded roles.
For Hernandez, the adjustment is undeniable, but fortunately, there are players geared up in the lineup to fill the gaps left behind. “Sobrang laki ng shoes na pupunan para sa kanila and ‘buti na lang may natira kaming mga seniors—si Kuya MJ [Fortuna] gano’n, sila Kuya JJ [Rodriguez]—sa kanila ako nagtitiwala or sila ‘yung nag-fill ng shoes nila,” he shared. Rather than shying away from the pressure, Hernandez embraced his enhanced role, making an effort to guide younger teammates.
(The shoes left behind are really big to fill, but fortunately, we still have seniors like Kuya MJ and Kuya JJ, whom I trust to help fill those roles.)
These adjustments will be put to the test against the league’s toughest competitors. The Taft-based squad is bracing for tactically demanding matchups, particularly against teams like NU and FEU, whose consistency has long dominated the competition.
Retiro exclaimed his enthusiasm, going against the national team bidders of the NU Bulldogs to test their chemistry, “Gusto kong ma-challenge ako, kami, kung ano talaga ang standard ng national team sa kung paano sila maglaro. Kailangan ‘yung level namin is umabot sa kanila or [mas aangat] pa [kaysa] sa kanila,” he expressed. While for Hernandez, FEU stands as a familiar benchmark for the team, with their Finals loss against them in the preseason tournament. He added that facing the Tamaraws would allow the Green Spikers to gauge their progress, not only in skill but also in their collective mission.
(I want to challenge myself and the team to see what the national team standard really is and whether our level can match or even surpass it.)
This season is about proving growth that is built through a trifecta of discipline, balance, and belief in the collective. What to expect is not perfection, but persistence. The Green Spikers are prepared to meet pressure without folding and to let chemistry and consistency define their run. They bear the Animo that will always prevail with effort rooted in growth as they look to conclude the narrative they have been writing for three seasons.
