La Salle’s Kim Fajardo: We’ve waited for that Game 1 victory

Lady Spikers team captain Kim Fajardo. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Back in 2015, De La Salle met Ateneo in the UAAP Women’s Volleyball Finals for the fourth straight time but none of that mattered as the ladies in blue swept the damsels in green for the title.

Fast forward to 2016 and the Lady Eagles-Lady Spikers rivalry turned fever pitch as the two teams met for the fifth straight time and this one would see La Salle finally take a victory.

Lady Spikers team captain Kim Fajardo said the win was a long time coming after they waited for more than a year to experience what winning a match in the championship round felt like.

“Uhaw na uhaw kami sa panalong ‘yun, ang tagal naming hinintay ‘to at ngayon nandito na naman kami ulit,” Fajardo said Tuesday at De La Salle University. “Siguro hindi na namin ‘to papalagpasin kasi makikita mo naman sa kanila [teammates ko] kung ano talaga ang gusto nilang makuha ngayong taon na ito.”

For the past five years, La Salle and Ateneo were the only champions of the tournament with both schools winning two apiece and Season 78 is the year when the tie would be broken.

Ateneo is the defending three-peat-seeking champions while La Salle had its own three-peat ended when the Lady Eagles shocked the Lady Spikers in Season 76.

Fajardo saw the happiness in her teammates’ eyes when they swept Ateneo 25-22, 25-22, 25-21, and that’s the feeling she doesn’t want to change come Wednesday’s Game 2.

“Na-fi-feel ko sa sarili ko na makikita mo sa teammates ko na sobrang nag enjoy, kung ikaw ako, kung nasa loob ka ng court, mararamdaman mo ‘to, hindi ko na ‘to bibitawan,” Fajardo said. “Ang sarap, ang gaan, ang sarap sa feeling na ganoon, oo sabihin na natin championship na natin sa bukas, pero hindi mo pine-pressure ang sarili mo parang laro lang.

“Kapag naglaro ka lang, nag-enjoy ka lang, susunod na ang laro mo. Mas mape-pressure ka kung tight ka.”