Alyssa’s all in

Alyssa Valdez during the Davao tryouts. Photo by Marc Reyes

The crowd cheers as she jogs around the court. The applause goes several decibels higher as she smashes a ball down the opposite court and peaks as she walks to the bench in front of the stands to refresh herself with a drink.

No doubt about it, Alyssa Valdez is in the house!

On an otherwise quiet Saturday afternoon at the University of Southeastern Philippines gym in Davao City, the country’s most recognizable volleyball player pulls in hundreds of star-struck fans, their camera phones handy, who react to just about everything she does.

And she’s not even playing in a match or practicing with her team. Flying back from Bangkok, where she plays in the competitive Thailand League, she’s in Davao to try out for a spot on the national team.

“I’m just very happy that I get to try out for the team,” says Valdez as she joins the hour-long selection process. “I really want to be part of the national team and represent the Philippines.”

She left Bangkok around 12:40 a.m. that Saturday. Landing in Manila, she proceeded to Davao for the Mindanao leg of the tryouts organized by the Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas Inc.

“It was a great flight, I don’t think I slept through it,” she says in jest, her uncommon charm oozing as usual.

If she never managed some shut-eye, it didn’t show. Valdez took part in all the tryout activities with the same fervor showed by the nine other aspirants, all of whom are high school and college varsity players.

“Alyssa turned the tryouts into a fan day. Seriously, her presence completed the legs of the tryouts,” says LVPI acting president Pete Cayco, noting that all the other volleyball stars also tried out in the previous sessions. Valdez, he says, made the Davao leg her own show.

The former Ateneo superstar says she didn’t need to persuade her team, 3BB Nakornnont, to allow her to fly back home and attend the tryouts. “My 3BB family looks after what’s best for us. They know that country is bigger than anything else,” she says.

Hoping to earn spots in the 20-player national pool during the Davao session were nine other girls who, at first, were too star-struck by Valdez.

“Overwhelmed!” says 15-year-old participant Nicole Bacamante. “I can’t believe she’s in front of me. She even touched my hair.”

Bacamante may have a very slim chance of getting a callback, but she swears Valdez’s presence made her day. She’s also glad that Cayco, who also owns Arellano University, has asked her if she’s interested in playing in the NCAA.

“I was very inspired,” says Bacamonte in Filipino. “Alyssa is pleasantly talkative inside the court, just like me. She’s also an outside spiker like me.”

Just like her, Valdez was a wide-eyed girl playing for Southern Tagalog in the Palarong Pambansa when Francis Vicente, then the high school coach of University of Santo Tomas, saw her and immediately offered her a spot on his team.

“It wasn’t actually me [that Vicente approached], it was Kim (Fajardo) but he also took me in and I was very fortunate that I had him as coach,” recalls Valdez. “He moulded me into what I am right now.”

Fast-forward to the present and Valdez says seeing Vicente, now the head coach of the national women’s team, “brought back happy memories” of her stints with UST and the national junior team. “I was very happy to see Sir Vince,” Valdez says of her old mentor, who went to the Davao tryout and spoke with her. “The last time I saw him was during my UAAP days.”

Joey Romasanta, the volleyball federation’s incumbent president, hopes that volleyball players can emulate Valdez’s dedication. He thanked the 5-foot-9 superstar from San Juan, Batangas, for attending the tryout.

Vicente says Valdez completed his “wish list” after also holding a three-day tryout at Arellano University Gym in Manila and another two-day affair at Southwestern University in Cebu City.

By the second week of March, Vicente says they would be ready to announce the 20-player pool. From there the LVPI will pick players to field in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Seniors and Asian U-23 Championships, all scheduled later this year.

“I’m really excited to share the court with the veterans and all the talented players here in the country,” says Valdez. “I’m really looking forward to, hopefully, hopefully, making the national pool.”

She’s not the only one seeking a spot in the team, but with her skill and zeal, there’s no doubt she’ll be part of the final selection.