Rachel Anne Daquis used to look up to the rafters at Far Eastern University Gym where jerseys of two FEU basketball legends’ hang.
Every time Daquis glances up, she contemplates.
“Will I ever see my jersey up there?” Daquis wondered.
On Tuesday, Daquis was in FEU again, only this time, when she tilts her head upward she will never ask the same question again.
Alongside Johnny Abarrientos and Arwind Santos’ jerseys, Daquis’ No. 3 was immortalized in an emotional retirement ceremony dedicated to the Queen Tamaraw.
“I didn’t expect it that I was going to get that kind of recognition from FEU,” Daquis told INQUIRER.net.
“Before, I dream about this moment every time a look up and see those jerseys retired. Will I ever see mine?”
There was a lot of laughter and tears as Daquis looked back from the very time she walked inside the doors of FEU and thanked every single person who molded her to be the volleyball superstar and one of the most admired Filipino athletes she is.
“FEU is my family. They have been very supportive ever since. They treated me like their own daughter,” she said. “I feel so grateful and blessed. I can’t explain it because I’ve been through a lot of hardships.”
Rachel Anne Daquis gives a speech during her jersey retirement ceremony at FEU Gym in Manila. Mark Giongco/INQUIRER.net
From his first FEU head coach Kid Santos to athletic director Mark Molina, team manager Anton Molina and current women’s volleyball team, they all offered high praise for Daquis, whose rare mix of charm, humility and dedication paved the way for the rise of volleyball in the country.
She arrived in FEU not knowing how to play volleyball and in just a couple of years she blossomed into a star,” said Molina in his speech. “And up to these years, when people talk about FEU volleyball, it’s Rachel Anne Daquis.”
More than a volleyball icon, Daquis wants to be an inspiration to Filipino athletes.
“I hope to be an inspiration to all the athletes to never give up.”
“There are now three retired numbers in FEU and definitely, Rachel deserves to be one of them,” said Molina. “She is an inspiration to all of us.”