Finals loss to La Salle ‘not the end’ for Valdez, Lady Eagles

Alyssa Valdez bids farewell. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

The blue empire of Ateneo has crumbled and the old rulers from De La Salle has once again taken over.

Alyssa Valdez, the three-time MVP of the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament, said his Lady Eagles just has to accept the fact they are not the defending champions anymore.

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“As much as we want to bring home the bacon… God put us in this situation,” Valdez said. “We are sad but we have to accept it.”

Ateneo went on a blistering start in the first set, starting off a with a 7-0 lead, but it all fell down as La Salle darted and eventually won in four sets, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 25-16.

Naturally, Valdez said losing the title, which they owned for two straight years, was one of the tougher things he has had to deal with.

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“I guess this is one of the best challenges na na encounter ko, with this I think God is preparing me for real life situations,” Valdez said. “But this is not the end, not for us.”

Valdez averaged 27.33 points across the three matches, including a 34-point outburst in Game 2 when she practically put Ateneo on her back.

Ever the gracious one, Valdez still congratulated La Salle on the victory.

“Well, congratulations to La Salle, they deserved it, they played as a team, they were awesome today.”