Ara Galang is MVP. Photo by Bong Lozada
Ara Galang experienced both the highest of achievements and the lowest of defeats in her volleyball career.
She’s a three-time UAAP champion with De La Salle, a Rookie of the Year, and an MVP with the Lady Spikers.
Galang’s achievements, however, didn’t protect from what was waiting to happen in 2015 when she suffered multiple injuries in her left leg during the Final Four of UAAP Season 77.
It took years for Galang to reach the pinnacle of personal success, but through sheer will and perseverance she finally managed to step into the apex when she was named the MVP of the Philippine Superliga Invitational Conference.
Galang led F2 Logistics to the title in a sweep of Petron in their best-of-three championship series, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-18, Saturday at Ynares Sports Center.
And that piece of shiny hardware was the testament to Galang’s hard work after her gruesome injury.
“My mentality is I will I give my best, I will give everything I know, everything that I can do,” said Galang in Filipino. “The important thing for me is that I will improve because I can’t say that I played my best.”
“All I know is I gave it my all the whole season.”
Galang bannered the Invitational Conference’s best individual players with teammates Dawn Macandili, Kim Fajardo, and Mary Joy Baron also receiving honors.
Macandili was named the Best Libero of the tournament, Baron was the 2nd Best Middle Blocker, and Fajardo was the Best Setter.
“I’m not even thinking about the MVP award because what I really wanted was the championship,” said Galang. “If I was given the MVP award then that’s just a bonus.”
Galang’s opponents in the finals also joined her in the podium with Aiza Maizo-Pontillas being named as the 1st Best Opposite Spiker, Mika Reyes as the 1st Best Middle Blocker, and Cherry Rondina as the 2nd Best Outside Spiker.
Rounding out the top individuals for the Invitational Conference are Best Scorer Patty Orendain from Generika-Ayala and Cignal’s Rachel Ann Daquis as the 1st Best Outside Spiker.