Shola Alvarez’ tenure with Jose Rizal University came to an end on Friday when the Lady Heavy Bombers lost to defending champion Arellano, 25-13, 25-20, 25-17, in the Final Four of the NCAA Season 93 women’s volleyball tournament.
Her exit may have been unceremonious, but Alvarez had left an imprint on JRU that will become a goal for the future Lady Heavy Bombers.
Alvarez was the undisputed face of the team throughout her stay and it was in her captaincy when JRU advance to its first and only Final Four stint.
“I didn’t expect that coach [Mia Tioseco] would give me this much trust,” said Alvarez in Filipino at Filoil Flying V Centre. “For me, I only did my job as the captain. I only did my part in helping the team but I never expected this much trust from her.”
For the two years prior to Season 93, JRU never made it to the top four with a sixth-seeded 4-5 finish in Season 91 and a seventh-seeded 3-6 finish in Season 92.
And JRU’s rise to the top four in Season 93 wasn’t a walk in the park, as it had to break free from College of St. Benilde and San Sebastian, both with 5-3 records, for the last spot in the semifinals.
JRU finished the season with a 6-4 record, a full game ahead of the Lady Stags and Lady Blazers.
Tioseco said that even though JRU wasn’t able to snatch the title, JRU’s administration was still proud with what the Lady Heavy Bombers accomplished.
“The president [Vicente K. Fabella] was very proud of the team,” said Tioseco. “I hope we can build on this.”
“Basically our goal was to make the Final Four, and we made it,” added Tioseco. “We just lacked the experience, we were very nervous to start but overall it was a good season.”