Dy on fighting for national team spot: ‘I have to make my own name’

Kim Kianna Dy of La Salle gets a spike through two UP defenders. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO / ST

Kim Kianna Dy has made a name for herself in the UAAP, but the moment she takes her first step into the bigger landscape as part of the national team pool, the De La Salle star will have to prove herself first.

Not only will Dy be introducing herself as one of the opposite spikers in the 25-woman pool of the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, she will also be competing against the iconic Jovelyn Gonzaga.

Dy, however, is eager to show to the country that she can roll with the big girls and that Gonzaga is already on a pedestal of her own.

“She has her own name,” said Dy on Sunday after helping La Salle beat University of the Philippines in straight sets at Filoil Flying V Centre. “I think I have to make a name of my own.”

Dy added she’s eager, not only to duke it out against Gonzaga for the opposite hitter position, to learn from the veterans in the pool. 

“There are better utilities than I so their expectations on me aren’t that high,” said Dy. “But it’s still an advantage for me because you can get tips from them and you can see how they work as a utility player and I think that can help me develop as a player.”

Dy, who won the Finals MVP in Season 78, is technically a rookie in the national stage while Gonzaga has been a vital mainstay.

Gonzaga captained the Philippines in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games and played in the highest club competition in volleyball when she was included in the PSL-Manila team that competed in the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship.

Dy, though, said she would be perfectly fine if Gonzaga will be chosen over her.

“I guess it will be the coaches’ decision to choose whoever is the best,” said Dy. “If ever I don’t make it to the final 12, it’s okay. I’ll still support the team.”