#BlockParty. This actually trended last Saturday, February 9 during the DLSU-ADMU volleyball game. I was lucky enough to witness it live for the second time around. For the first round, I was able to watch the game at Fil-oil Flying V Arena in San Juan and on the second round it was already held at the MOA Arena. There were so many people who watched their first round match, there were even people who are seated on the staircase and there were a lot of people who were standing. I guess that's the reason why they moved the venue to MOA Arena which is way way bigger. But even if it's already a big venue, there were still a lot of people who were standing during the game. A total of 19, 638 people were there. Yes, I know the exact number hahaha! Thanks to the replay of the game last Wednesday, I was able to watch the game again and was able to listen to the commentators :)) So, why am I making this blog post? Well, I really enjoy watching volleyball games. It was actually two years ago when I became a fan of the sport. And because of that, I wanna learn how to play the sport well. Volleyball, what have you done to me? Hahahaha! Yup, I'm serious with that :)) Maybe one of these days I'll practice playing volleyball. =)
Anyway, the real reason why I'm blogging about the game last week. I was so amazed with the Lady Spikers. Really. They were so great. They may have some errors but still, they won in three awesome sets. In this blog post I'll actually go into some of the details of the game. Naks =)) Feeling expert hahaha :)) But seriously, the things that I would be posting were observations from the game and again, thanks to the replay I was able to really observe. 'Coz when I was in the arena I was just cheering haha =))
During the replay of the game in Studio 23 I was able to watch the game with the side comments of the commentator, the court side reporters and even some of the fans. I was also able to listen to the interview of Michelle Gumabao before the game started and I really liked what she said about the attitude of the Lady Spikers. She said that having that "Lady Spiker Swag" is really important in their game. And I absolutely agree with that. It's part of the game. It's not being boastful or what, it's just, you know a part of the game. :)) I can't really explain it. But you gotta admit, you love their swag. :) According to the experts of the game, sometimes they need to have that "angst" :)))
For that game, they were trying to compare Galang from DLSU and Valdez from ADMU. That was there ideal match up for the game. I'm not really a fan of Valdez but there is no doubt that she can really hit the ball hard. But there are times wherein you don't need to do that. Sometimes she forgets about that. Sorry to the fans of Valdez out there. And...there's just something about her that I don't really like. Again, sorry. That's just my opinion. So, let's go to Galang. Ara Galang is one of my favorite players not just because she's from DLSU but because she's really great. She's just a sophomore but she does play well. She's actually part of the top 10 in 4 out of 6 categories. The only categories she's not part of are digging and setting and that's because she's not a libero or a setter. That's how flexible Ara Galang is. And, I also like that she's a smart player. She doesn't just hit the ball hard, she makes sure that it would be the right thing to do 'coz sometimes you can do the drop ball or do an off speed attack. That's how Ara Galang plays, she thinks during her attacks.
 |
| Ara Galang :) |
 |
| Mika Reyes. |
I also would like to commend other players from DLSU like Mika Reyes, she's also one of my favorite players. Not just the way she plays but also because of her attitude. Some might misinterpret it as being boastful but she's not. Again, it's part of the game. I love how she does the stare downs. She's a great blocker and she has all the reason to do that hahaha! The best moment for me during that game would be when Reyes blocked Valdez. That was a great block. Plus the stare down. Actually, she had a couple of blocks for Valdez. =)) hahaha. Loved that :) I'll always love the attitude of Reyes :)
 |
| Michelle Gumabao showing some intensity :) |
 |
| the captain, Abigail Marano. |
The best player for that game was Michelle Gumabao. She was definitely great during the game. She is indeed a great blocker but she also did well on the offense, she had a couple of great attacks and service aces as well. She was great. :) Abigail Marano was also great. She always shows how effective of a leader she is. She never fails to tell her teammates to always do their and focus. You'll always hear her say that. By the way, Marano is the #1 best blocker in the league :)) And, can I just say...I love her clips hahaha. Trademark of Marano =)) Another player that was great was Wensh Tiu, she is a smart attacker which is really good. :) Lastly, one of my favorites, Mika Esperanza. I really like seeing her play 'coz she's always smiling which is a good thing. It just shows that she enjoys what she's doing. She's a great setter, I must say. The best moment for her during the game was when she was able to block. I loved that. It's like everyone in the team contributed for the blocking. Esperanza's a great player :)
 |
| Wensh Tiu with an attack :) |
I also have players that I like from Ateneo. I like Cainglet 'coz she's great and she's humble. Ferrer, 'coz she's a great setter. Lazaro, she's an excellent digger and Gervacio for her jump serve :) Can I just add my favorite players from other schools; Sheila Pineda from Adu and Cai Nepomuceno from NU 'coz they're both great.
 |
| Marano & Fajardo with a stare down :) |
 |
| DLSU LADY SPIKERS. |
 |
| Block! |
 |
| Another block! |
 |
| They're all focused. |
 |
| Best player for that game, Michelle Gumabao rejoicing :) |
 |
| And yes, another block! :) |
 |
| Loved this shot. :) Smile :) |
 |
| Mika Esperanza with the block during the 3rd set. =) |
Let me end this blog post by a simple recap on why, I think, the Lady Spikers won. They showed what champions are. They're the defending champions so I guess they're just proving something. They had that mental toughness that even if they're not used to playing in such a big crowd, they didn't mind that. They still played the same and just focused on their game. Another reason why they won? 'Coz they wanted to. They put their heart in the game and played with all they can and they never forgot to smile. Lastly, according to Boom Gonzales, "their defense has been solid the entire afternoon". I think that's the best reason why they won. I can't agree more with what Boom Gonzales said. Their defense was totally awesome especially with their blocks. They're definitely the best blocking team in the league. True. It was a great BLOCK PARTY. =)
Credits to The Lasallian for all the photos in this blog post. :)
#BlockParty.
biancacanlas
