Ateneo Pt 2: One Big Fight is Right!

August 30, 2011- Well after lasts week emotional victory over the Navy, I was not ready to repeat that kind stress again. Yes, it had been 4 days, but I could do with out it. The stress on my body and knees was enough to last me for a while. But again, life just wouldn't be realistic if this team didn't make it interesting right down to the last drop. Coming into this match, I really just wanted to go out, do my job, shower and come home. Okay well that sounds like I say playing is easy. But when you think about it, that is all it should be. Go out, work hard, do your job on the court, whatever that may be, and go home. When everyone does their job, the team works like a well oiled machine. The machine breaks down when when a part of it stops working right? It can be just one screw. Then other parts get over heated because they are overworked and eventually it breaks down. Have I just compared us to an automobile? Sure. I feel like that is the best way to describe our team sometimes. I do believe this happens to us just like with other teams as well. Parts of our machine break down. This match would be no different.

I want to first say that Ateneo is probably the best "TEAM" in this competition in my opinion. I think they have the best team chemistry and they really do work as a well oiled machine. To me, they are the biggest threat in this league simply because they do not give up no matter what. Teams like that tend to frustrate other teams. They constantly dig your balls and strategically roll shot a ball over your block and score. Its good volleyball.

The match started off pretty even, with SSC having a slight edge. Ateneo was not playing their best ball, but you cannot count on that. The goal in a match is to get better every set. So I was expecting for them to pick up their slow start. The Stags were able to hold on for an early set lead. And our good play continued into the next set, as we jumped on top the Lady Eagles to take a commanding lead. There was a slightly different look in our M2 position as Jannette Doria could not longer play with us because of conflicting schedules with her school team. So Daphna stepped up and filled in. And she was doing an excellent job for us. Her blocking and hits were a boast for us when our other hitters were too compromised. So really happy that she was playing awesome. Really everyone was playing pretty well by this second set. Which really takes the pressure off. It makes the other team really have to buckle down and play straight up, instead of just focusing on 1 or 2 players. We defeated Ateneo in the second set 25- 16 to take a 2-0 in the match. All Smiles :D

But those smiles would not last long. As they never do. I'm about enjoying the game, but many times I don't smile because its not apart of my game face. I don't cheese in the other teams face. I don't taunt them. I don't get overconfident, because volleyball is a game of rallies. With a snap of a finger a team can make a comeback and win. That's the nature of the game. Again I am from the school of jump on them from the start and keep em down. I don't like to make things interesting. I dunno why. I guess I really like winning and I know if you leave things up for chance, you may lose. When you can defeat a team in 3, you defeat them in 3 games. Simple as that. There is no other way to do it. Well that would not be our fate tonight because we love keeping things interesting.

So were in the 3rd set. Were up by 6. Not much, but enough. Is it enough to be complacent? No I don't think so. If I'm on a team up by 20, I'm not gonna stop playing just because. I look up at the score after the TTO and its 16-10. We start goofing around. We let easy balls drop. We start making unforced errors and here comes the Lady Eagles edging their way back into this match. Much credit to Ateneo, I'm telling you those ladies dont stop. At this point they had started playing some really nice volleyball. Their power hitter Alyssa Valdez was pretty much unstoppable in the open position. And my GOD, their libero Denise Lazaro was digging everything and was everywhere. So when I say we lost the 3rd set after being up, please also know that Ateneo came and took it from us.

Entering the 4th set was difficult because momentum was not on their side. They had heated up real quick in the last set. Everyone on my team still seemed a bit complacent still, but playing. That's all you can do. Battle in the moment. Now this had become a pretty good match as both teams were exchanging pretty awesome kills and digs. We had pretty good reception. Phee Jeng was ripping the ball. Rubie was making her one-armed plays and etc. And the rallies in this set were endless. The kind that completely exhaust you. The longer this match went on, the more it was in favor of Ateneo. But then many things happened that killed us. We all started making errors, but most importantly we stopped playing as a team and started depending on individuals to make plays.

At this point everyone was exhausted from trying to stay in the match. I was very frustrated. Ateneo had started viewing my setter's signals for me, and had set up a fort of defense whenever I went to hit. Which doesn't matter anyways, because every team knows that when I am in the game, I'm gonna get the majority of the sets. I remember going to bench thinking, this will be a travesty if we lose this set. And just as I said it, we lost 27-29.

The Lady Stags of SSC walked back to the bench solemnly. We looked flat lined and everyone in the arena knew we had just blown it. I personally was mad beyond belief. I couldn't believe we had dug ourselves into this hole of possibly losing a match we once lead. To me it was such a waste and I wanted to sit there and throw a pity party. Well not really. I wanted to punch something other than a ball, but at that moment, a ball was the only thing I could punch. I let my emotions get the best of me without realizing that hey, we have another set to win. Cant change the past.

Set 5! I guess everyone shared my pissed off attitude because we came out and handled business. It was a shame that it came to that, but in the end we regrouped and hung on to win 15-9. At the end someone told me I had 32 points. Back to back 30+ games is insane. I had never done that in my life and honestly I never knew I had it in me. I heard once that sometimes you have to stand back and look at the mountain you just climbed. Now that I had done that maybe people feel like I can do that every time. Another big expectation on my plate. PRESSURE! In the end I am happy we won and so happy that some of my teammates stepped up to the plate and were awesome. I'm talking about Daf, who was also awarded Player of the Game. She really made plays when we needed it. Love it!

So Ill end with this quote from a notable Jedi master.... "Do or do not. There is no try."- Yoda, THe Empire Strikes Back

Navy Match. 5 sets. Lets just Leave it at That!

August 25, 2011- The Navy Rematch... AKA The Match of Redemption... AKA THE Grundge Match.... AKA Were playing the team that defeated us and I was too upset to put my emotions into words. DUN DUN DUN!!!!! Okay whatever. Nothing should ever be that hyped up, especially not athletics. But this match was very important to me simply because this Navy squad was the only team to defeat us in the first round. It was a match where I felt we did not fight back at all, and the one thing about losing is going down without a fight. Thats inexcusable!

So heading into this rematch they had the upper hand mentally in knowing they already had defeated us and knew how. But like I always say. Its hard to beat a team twice. Ofcourse its possible, but difficult.



Playing the Navy is.... well Ill use the word intersting. They are tough as nails, they compete hard, and they fight. Hard to not respect that. Although there seems to always be "friendly" gestures through the net, and by "friendly" I am being sarcastic for lack of a positive word to put there. Buts it okay.... all is fair in love and war... I mean volleyball right? Anyways the goal would be to contain their big hitters Bautista ad Roces. I say contain because they are good players and to say stop them would be stupid. They are gonna find ways to score. Thats what makes a good athlete. Also we would have to hit through the wall of "Mic Mic" Laborte. Very athletic laterally and a strong blocker.


We started the match off slow and lathargic. I dunno really whats the deal with that. Its like we need a set to warm up, which is not a good thing at all. Im from the school of jump on them right away and keep um down. Not a fan of keeping things interesting. :) But it was what it was. We had Jen back which was great for us. She really is a leader back there as the libero. She works really hard and you know how I feel about liberos that risk their lives to keep the ball off the floor. BUT.... Unfortunately, Jen would leave us the first set due to reinjury of her knee. Although we made a nice comeback, it was not enough as the Navy took the first set.


At the start of the 2nd set, we came out on the attack playing pretty well. Up by almost 8 points things were looking a bit better this match. Our other libero Mae Crisotomo had come in the match and filled in for Jen better than we could have hope. That is why every single person on a roster is important. We all have our roles to play... That would not be more true than with this match. Just half way through another injury would take another player victim as Laborte from the Navy went down with a severe ankle sprain. In all honesty you hate to see a player go down with an injury, but you also use it as an opportunity. Both #17's were out. A big blow to both teams.

Set 3 The Lady Stags attacked once again off the bat. For me it was important to not let up and get complacent. I kept saying to myself, " Remember were playing a tough squad.." And thats what motivated me. In my opinion on gap in scoring, no matter how large is big enough to relax. People always ask me why I m not smiling in games. Its not because Im not having fun. Its because I am focused. Its about business! Defeating the the Navy to go up 2-1 sets is huge. Now the kicker would be to finish. Again, another very important part of games. What fun would it be if we had closed out the match in the next set? Of course we didnt.

The Stags leading in the 4th set and up 2 sets got lazy. We let balls drop. We eased off. Simply because we were up. We relaxed on a team struggling to get a descent lineup in the match to compete. We relaxed on a team with two of the top players in the league. We relaxed on an experience squad that came back and defeated us after being down by more than 6 points and their backs against the walls. That right there my friends is why I dont like to smile. Its why I dont want to relax. Finishing this match in 4 meant rest for my ailning body, which at that point was aching from the constant jumping on my knees. Much credit to the Navy, they fought hard with everyone on their team. They had very key blocks and kills and completely shut us down towards the end of that match. One to Set 5.... Again! :(

In what I will describle as being probably in the top 5 maddest moments in my life. I went to the bench. Angry at myself. Angry at me team. Angry at my body. Angry at everything. This was not alright to me. And Im sure the crowd was enjoying such a nail-biting match, which was cool. But inexcusable. I have no words as to why we let them back in the match. This just turned from being a definite win for the Stags to a we can possibly walk outta her with the L. And at that point steam would have been pouring out my ears.

Oh well.... I couldnt go back and undo what was already done. Just move forward. Had to focus on these next 15 points. Each one was crucial. Starting the 5th set, we were once again lounging like we didnt want to win. Balls were dropping. Block was not solid and it look as if we were done. But just like the SSC team i love, we fought back. Crazy defense from Jhoy, Shobe and Rubee, we fought to stay in it and successfully defeated the Navy 15-9. Talk aboug wipping off my forehead.

Afterwards they awarded me as player of the game, and I was shocked to learn of the stats from this game. 26 kills from myself, 21 from jeng and 25 from Narissa Bautista. The Navy finished with 66 digs while we were a little short with 63. What a freakin match. It felt like it as I was so exhausted leaving the floor... As it should be. Days like this you should feel like you left it all on the floor. Great job ladies. It wasnt pretty, but it was good.

Airforce Rd 2.

On some day in August- The days are starting to run together so much. Match after match from now on. Its the quarterfinals, even though there are 6 teams left, each and every match is important. We have to play all of them like its a championship game. If everyone on our side can have that mentality, we will be hard to beat. I believe this round will be about mental toughness. We have proven that we can both win and lose to any team in this league. Our main goal should be to be tough and play each and every match with the same intensity. Even keel. One can always improve, but maintaining a high level of play proves to be difficult, especially with a young team like ours.

Playing the Airforce for a second time would prove interesting. This time all the nerves are out. We had a feel for our teammates and what was going on. Looking back on the first time, it was the opening match of the whole V League with the highest attendance. Playing in front of lesser crowd meant no change for us. We still needed to go out with a purpose. We know that the Airforce has 2 really good hitters in the lefty Maizo and Manzano. Both are capable of scoring from anywhere on the court. Plus their setter, Semana, does a really good job of distributing the ball and plays crazy mad defense. So containing those three players were key.

Coming out we were a bit stiff and cold, especially after our last match against the Army, people had high expectations for this team and so do I. Pretty much now the secret is out on us as well. To stop SSC you have to stop Jeng Bualee and Lauren Ford. Every match from here on out, Jeng and I will walked onto the court with X's on our backs. Lots of pressure, but we can take it. What was so awesome about this match was that others stepped up. Jhoy Benito and Jill Gustilo have been playing amazing in the back row with keeping the ball off the floor. At this point that is crucial. I am happy to be decoy....

Of course Jeng, the Queen of Swing is lights out all day. I always say she has never seen a set she didn't like. Today was not different. That girl lives to hit balls and hit them hard. The tricky thing is that everyone in the arena knows she is getting the ball. To hit through a set double block waiting for you, and be successful is remarkable. I hope she keeps it up.

Me you ask? I had an average game. Hey, cant score 27 points every game, but I can be a big problem by just stepping onto the court. Teams have to respect a middle that can score, which opens up the court so much for the other players to score. I'm thrilled when I can get good opportunities for my teammates and they maximize on it. That truly gives teams headaches.

In the end, we defeated the Airforce in 3 sets. Always good to finish and do it quickly. No one likes 5 set matches. Well, Im sure the fans love it. But it tends to get hard on the body. A win is a win I suppose. Good start to the second round. WE are now the team to beat. This is gonna get interesting. Sometimes when your on top, the only way to go is down. Keyword is gonna be MAINTAIN.... the intensity!

We live to fight another day!

Cant wait for Jen to return to us. We need her! She is rehabbing and is determined to get back. YAY!

First Elimination Rd Done!

August 19, 2011- The Lady Stags of San Sebastian have ended the first elimination round on top of the league tied with the Philippine Army with a record of 5-1, thanks to our last victory on Thursday. Our only loss came to the Philippine Navy in a very disgruntled match. But rebound we did and now were heading into the quarterfinals in the #1 spots. Yeah Lady Stags!

ITs Gut Check Time. We played the Army!

August 18, 2011- Or D-Day I like to call. Well it certainly felt like it. It was the match to see so far. It was the match to see so far and everyone was hyping it up. Folks wanted to see what San Sebastian could do against the undefeated Army team. Talk about pressure. After the Maynilad match, the word around town was that this would be THE game of all games of like forever. For me the pressure to continue to play at a high level was tremendous. I went through a lot of self doubt that week waiting and waiting to step onto the court and play. I had never had this much pressure to perform in my life I don't think, and when I did, I always felt like I have let people down. So I really wanted to win this match. I wanted to win for SSC and the girls really bad. I wanted to win for the fans that are so loyal. And I wanted to win for me. To prove something to myself.

When the last ball dropped, it felt like nothing I had felt before; well maybe not in a long time. It was probably the best match I have ever been apart of with some outstanding volleyball.

Many opportunities have come and gone in my life with no real success. LN Volleyball, my 20-2 HS bball team, high jump at State, Wisconsin, SC volleyball, Spain, the first time, Switzerland. All these instances I have held the ball in my hand and dropped it. I wanted this match so bad I could taste it. But unfortunately all the want in the world does not bring victory, I know that all too well. I worried myself to death. Sleepless nights, headaches, binge-eating. All for this one little game that really meant nothing. Yeah it was some week for me. But hey, that's why we play isn't it.


If this were a fairy tale, SSC would be little red riding hood and the Philippine Army team would be the big bad wolf. Well, that is drastic, but lets go with it. They were undefeated, beating every team in 3-4 sets. They were strong in just about every position. They have a solid and probably the tallest setter, 3 very Strong attackers in the Carolino sisters and Daquis, a fan favorite, and two solid middle blockers. Baste is probably one of the best in the league. Not to mention I absolutely love their libero, but lets keep that on the low. So I knew to win or even have a chance in this game we had to play our best volleyball.


From the start, I told my team we need to jump on these guys and attack. Playing catch up was not a game I wanted to play with this Army team. Surprisingly we did. Things were going really well. Passing and hitting were smooth. We were blocking or touching a lot of their balls, which can be very frustrating. For once it felt nice to stand on top of the mountain and look down. We took the first set.

Winning the first set is nice. Takes the pressure off, but the most important thing is to maintain. You have to bring that same intensity. That is the hard part. And we played well, but the Army came on stronger. This was mostly due to a key substitution. They subbed in a player by the name of Rachel Ann Daquis, a power hitter with a pretty good jump. She really came in lifted the Army team. We had problems defending her attack. Plus she is a fun player and the crowd really enjoys her. She is definitely a fan favorite and I can see why. She enjoys her kills and lets everyone know it. I call her Miss Philippine Volleyball. :)

Knowing it would not be easy especially after the Army tied the match 1-1, focus is key. Don't take your eyes off the prize. Right now its not about the end result, its about getting to the end. Still have at least 2 sets left and we could do it the easy way or the hard way..... Of course we did it the hard way.

Winning the 3rd set was easy. The Lady Stags regained our confidence and was starting to realize we could actually win this in 4 sets. We were having fun, but we got too relaxed. We started making unforced errors. We let easy balls drop, and the Army came on strong. Their blocking was crucial as some plays we simply could not score. As they danced around the court after every point, the blood in my body started to boil. Forgetting to keep a cool head, my mind totally was out of the game. I was getting blocked and committing stupid errors trying to do too much. We were defeated physically and mentally as the match was tied.

Going into the 5th and final set was so hard. I was tired, as was everyone else. My team was starting to show signs of fatigue. The Army had to play catch up to stay in this match, so Im sure they were exhausted too, but they had momentum on their side. That is very important in times like these. We started the 5th set pretty much the same way the 4th ended. Flat. They had all but shut me down, and we really could not score anywhere. My serving was completely ineffective as my shoulder was starting to throb with pain. I felt like, "this is it," as I walked off the court to the bench. We were down 8-4 at the change over.

But hey we were not out. The Stags hung around with Great defense and serving from Jhoy and Rubie. By the team it was my turn to re-enter the game we had tied the score at around 11. Going point for point it was so intense. And then it happened. I got my scoring back and with some key kills and blocks from Jeng and one from Rubie, we had game point. OMG is what I was thinking. The score was 14-11. Did we really just make the comeback of like the century? The last point I wanted so bad. I knew if we didn't win it there, we would have let the Army back in the match and who knows what would happen. So the last block I penetrated like never before and when the ball hit the floor on their side I screamed and jumped for joy. We had won!

The arena gave both teams a standing ovation, but it was just that good. Intense all the way until the end. Both teams had played their hearts out and it could have gone any way. Im just glad it went ours that day. I couldn't help think how in the world did we pull this off. I told the reporter I had no idea how we won this match, but I was happy we did. It was pure adrenaline at the end there. Mentally I was out to sea after that 4th set, but being able to bring it back was a huge mental victory for me. More importantly for us we proved to ourselves how good we can be. We now know the bar we have to reach in order to play at that level. It'll be hard, but again that's why we play.

So ill end with this quote...

"You know, I believe the true focus lies somewhere between rage and serenity." -Professor X

Photos are courtesy of Taj Chupungco.

Lady Stags Stack the STATS!

Photo from my dear friends at Sscrwvt Lady stags > http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/SSCRWVT

So with a few games left, the Lady Stags are doing pretty well in the league rankings in individual skills. As a team we are ranked #1. Bravo Baste! Keep it up Ladies!

Were Playing Maylinad. Hope we have water Tomorrow!

August 11, 2011- With only two matches remaining in the first elimination round, SSC stood atop the team standings and stacked many of the individual stats as well. We were 3-1 and was amongst the league leaders in serving and scoring. As for receiving and blocking... Well lets just say we have a lot of room for improvement. Our next test came against the Water Dragons of Maylinad. Not a huge team, but solid defense, good setter, the league leader in blocks and a feisty outside hitter. Coming off of a huge win against Ateneo, our goal was to maintain our ranking while of course improving on the little kinks.



Well the good news is we won in straight sets (25-10, 25-14, 25-14). To me it was a very sloppy match. I don't know if the teams were just tired from previous matches, or if maybe my side underestimated the Water Dragons or what? The score does not reflect the match. I thought there were some good rallies and hard volleyball played, but at times the focus was off. I personally felt this was not one of my best matches. But I can say my blocking improved. In the previous matches, I had not blocked well, so I was content that I was able to improve there. Being a middle is hard. Attacking wise, you have to depend on a good pass and a good set. Sometimes they are there and sometimes they are not. We passed pretty well that night, but I just couldn't connect. It happens. Its part of it.

Of course there were standout performances on our side. Jeng hit the leather off the ball like always. Okay, the leather is still on the ball, but there are definitely dents on the arena floor. I swear I think that girl has a shoulder of gold. I cant even imagine being on the other end of that. :) Jhoy also played really well. Her serving lately has been terrific and it takes the pressure off of the defense, which is good. She also has been playing some great defense back there in middle back. She was named player of the game. Lets not forget about MJ & Jill. Their reception has been really good. Hey, I cant do what I do without them. MJ is actually leading the league in reception. NICE!





Hopefully well have some rest before out next and final match of the of this first round against the *DUM DUM DUM* Army! It always feels good to get a win under your belt, no matter how you got it. So we are happy to be 4-1 now. The team joked that we may not have water the next day if we defeated the Water Dragons. After some recent events, that actually might be a true story.





Photos are courtesy of Mr. Arnold Cruz, Mr. Cesar Bailen Jr. and Pinoy Spikers

Coming Out Party!

August 9, 2011- Match #4 and finally Team SSC finally realized the potential we held in our own hands. I think we also showed the rest of the league what we are capable of once we came together as a team and started playing like one. Facing off against the Lady Eagles of Ateneo, I knew this game could go two ways. Ateneo killed us in 3, or we had to fight like heck and compete. I guess there is really no other choice in any match. You win or you lose. This match has significance for a couple of reasons. One being they were a top team in the league so far. They probably have the best chemistry out of all the teams in the league and you could tell. Secondly, we share the same head coach. Yeap that's right. Coach Roger coaches us, the Lady Stags and Ateneo. At one point of the match, I caught a glimpse of him giving them instruction. I was like, "HEY!"

Well of course what type of demented world would I be in if I were ever on a team that decided to start a game on top. NOPE. Somehow I am always on a team that likes to make it interesting. Cant make it too easy right? Well this time was not any different. Ateneo jumped out to a 1-0 set lead. Even though the score was only 26-24, they outplayed us, but our unforced errors did not help things either. Its hard when you are standing outside your body looking and wondering like everyone else, why is this team not playing to their potential. Ever have that feeling? But much credit to the Lady Eagles. They did exactly what I knew they would. They have two really exceptional outside hitters that can get up and attack the ball really hard. Two decent middles and libero. Their opposite, Valdez is also a big presence on the floor. She can score very well as well and she has a big block. She also carries a very heavy, very good top spin jump serve in her arsenal. Of course it would not be easy.

Highly upset with how things had gone the first set, I went into angry Lauren mode. That either goes 2 ways as well. I get so angry that I play better or I get into my own head and over play.
Thank goodness it was not the latter and with that, my hitting just kind of exploded. I felt like every set was so beautiful, and I wanted to smash the you know what out of it. Maybe I was in Flow? Whatever it was, sets 2-4 looked like a completely different team. A team I like way better. We were passing better, serving better, playing defense better. Everyone stepped up.

Well don't call it a comeback, but we took the match 3-1. We actually made it look easy. The last set started off 8-0. The set only lasted about 17 minutes and in the end we held Ateneo to only 10 points. Now the question is... Why cant we come out and do this all the time? Kind of like figuring out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll...... The world may never know. But I do know it feels good.

At the end of the match I was named the Shakey's player of the game. But non of this is possible without the other 6 girls I play with. Quite frankly Jeng Baulee & Jhoy Benito deserve some recognition this game as well. They played really well. Jeng put down 22 kills and 11 digs, while Jhoy had some key kills and served exceptionally well with 5 aces.

On another note. This was my first live interview. I hope I was not mumbling. I have always dreamed of doing this, but when it was actually happening its unreal. Apparently I was the tallest woman this reporter had ever interviewed. :) She was real cool too.

Bravo Baste!

Photos are from the Pinoy Spikers.