Twice they tried, twice they were denied. But the Lady Knights decided Friday wouldn't be one of those times.
On the brink of another runner-up finish, Colegio de San Juan de Letran staged a fightback to remember, extinguishing De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s fire with a 15-25, 25-17, 26-24, 17-25, 15-12 Game 3 victory to rule NCAA Season 101 women’s volleyball at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The thrilling victory exorcised Letran’s ghosts of the past, as they had fallen to Benilde in back-to-back finals in Seasons 99 and 100.
While those two finals heartbreaks seemed to prepare Letran to finally end the curse on its third try, the Lady Knights’ story goes back 28 years—and head coach Mayeth Carolino has witnessed it all.
"Sobrang [nostalgic]. Nakakatuwa," Carolino told reporters after obliging countless photo requests from fans, players, and alumni at the venue.
"Sobrang saya. Hindi ko ma-explain ‘yung saya ko na natupad ‘yung goal namin na makuha ‘yung championship."
Carolino is one of the figures the Letran community remembers when looking back at its women’s volleyball dominance in the late 1990s, which made hiring the woman who helped shape that era a no-brainer for the Lady Knights.
Carolino was hailed Rookie of the Year in 1997 before capturing MVP honors in 1998. In both years, she led the Lady Knights to championships, which stood as their last titles before ending a 28-year drought on Friday.
The player-turned-coach admitted accepting the job wasn't easy, especially since the Lady Knights were coming off a pair of runner-up finishes. However, Carolino trusted the process—and the people around her—to finally turn Letran's fortunes around.
"Hindi ako nakakatulog lalo na ‘pag talo kami. Talagang ang hirap pero nandiyan ‘yung coaching staff ko at saka ‘yung mga players, inaalalayan nila ako so hindi ako nag-iisa rito," Carolino added.
"Talo man o panalo kami, laging andiyan sila sa tabi ko. Hindi ko na-feel na mag-isa ako rito."
Carolino and the rest of the Lady Knights believe this could be the start of another era of Letran dominance.
The Lady Knights, though, will have to look to replicate that feat next year without star libero Lara Mae Silva and veteran setter Nat Estreller. Finals MVP Judiel Nitura shared that she isn't sure yet whether she will use her final year.
"Siyempre hindi kami pwedeng mag-relax. Ang ganda ng laban dito sa NCAA, lahat ng teams malalakas. Unahan lang talaga. Tuloy-tuloy ‘yung practice namin," Carolino said.
"Hopefully, syempre gusto natin na tuloy-tuloy ‘to. Sana start pa lang ‘to ng Letran."
—JKC, GMA News
