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.