Return to Columbia

"In my mind I'm gone to Carolina
Can't you see the sunshine?
Can't you just feel the moonshine?
Ain't it just like a friend of mine"

James Taylor says it best right? I assume he is talking about South Carolina. AKA South Cakalaki. Being a Graduate of the University of South Carolina (06'), you would think I would have better ties to the university. But considering how I parted ways when I left, things are still a bit bitter when it comes to my alma mater. Yeah I still cheer for football and basketball when I see them on TV, and of course Baseball (Back 2 Back National Champs). But that same love was not attempted towards volleyball for reasons I will not get into. Just know it ended bad and we all know I can hold a grudge. I think letting go and moving on has been quite therapeutic for me. Do I still get that sick feeling in my stomach when I think about it sometimes. Sure! On the flip side I love thinking about the good times and all the relationships I have formed as a result of attending USC, so its a balanced emotion.

Walking on campus was so surreal. Everything was completely different, including the volleyball office and hello the freaking Academic center is ridiculous. I mean I would have always been there studying if we had that back in my day.












Later that night we met up with some friends in 5 points, the go to social place in Columbia. There were a myriad of old faces there. Of course we met up with Jason, our favorite Omega and he brought along the World Champion Packer Tory Gurley. Talk about bling. Wish I had taken a picture of that Super Bowl ring. Holy mother of heavy hardware. Later that night we were delighted to get a visit from Cliff aka light skinned friend look like Michael Jackson. Always good seeing Cliff, so many memories with that guy, and I really do believe he used to look out for us vball girls.

And then there was the reason we all came... Lynae's wedding, which was gorgeous by the way. As teammates Shonda and Sarah walked down the aisle to music by Ray Lamontagne, it was nothing short a a Hallmark happy ending movie.
Lynae wore this beautiful full length gown with her Dad as he was holding back tears. It really was special. Had to keep Lexi from full out bawling on the ground at the moment. After some wedding party photos and quick meet and greets with other guest, we flowed into the small 2 story manor for some delicious country style hor d'oeurves. So much deliciousness cannot be described simply in a blog.



We huddled out side, where it had gotten a little brisk, but that was nothing a little dancing couldn't cure. We kicked off our pumps and danced into the late night. After tossing her bouquet to her new sister in law falling over a gate and into the bushes, Lynae and Teddy walked away to a display of fireworks held by their quest. It really was a good time. Congrats to them.


Coming back to Columbia was not so bad at all. As long as my homies are with me! We used to run that town.


And for your enjoyment....

Navy Match: Feels like Were Playing Battleship for Real!

September 15th, 2011- Navy Match, Part Deux and trust me, I didn't want a part 3. This was it. San Sebastian needed one more victory to reach the Finals of the Shakey's V-League Open Conference season 8. So many things were running through my head at this very moment. Would we be ready? Would we let it slip through our hands. What adjustments had the Navy team done since last game? Could we close it out? All of these things were not in my control. The only thing I could do was go out and play my hardest so that our team could have an opportunity to win. That's the only thing we can ever control.... Ourselves. I hadn't got much sleep the night before. I was a little bit jittery. Had some nervous energy. Our last training had been horrible for me. Things just were not gelling for lack of a better word. So there was worry there too and because I am the guest foreign player, there is always pressure for me to perform at my highest level, even when things don't seem to be gelling right. So I had to get over that immediately.

Walking into the arena, we were the first match up of the night. I was informed that the Navy squad had picked up Aiza Maizo from the Air Force to replace their injured player. Nice pick up. She is a very talented player, but for me the game plan does not change. we still have to come out and play our game no matter who is on the opposite side. Even without some of their best players, I still believed the Navy team was tough as nails.

Warming up and preparing to play the Navy is always different than for other teams. From day 1 it seems that there was this negative resentment towards each other. And today would be no different especially after the events that have gone on between these teams. All I can say is hey, " I came here to play volleyball. That is it." There is no ill intent from my end. I just wanna play and be the best I can be for my team. I cant change the past no more than anyone else in that arena tonight. Definitely no love would be lost on this match as well. So if you need someone to dislike, than go right ahead. I can take it.



Set one went on as usual. Navy came out a bit on fire, but we were able to hang in there for the time being. Jeng personally came out on fire, like she was carrying a grudge of some sort. You could tell, or at least I could that this was personal for her. So I let her be and do her thing. I, personally was not playing like the Lauren that everyone expects, but it was enough, because my team was picking up any slack for everything and everyone. So its the middle of set one and we just have a major breakdown in everything. Its super frustrating when you are hitting the ball pretty nicely and getting great looks and then the team on the other side is getting the ball up. Not easily, but they are playing defense around your hits. When that happens you often panic, because its like, "Uh Oh, what now." What you have to continue to do is play. Teams are gonna dig balls and they are gonna make incredible plays and that is what this Navy team was doing. You have to weather the storm, and SSC always has a hard time doing that. When things go bad, we have a tendency to panic and start harping on our mistakes, then of course making everything worse. Its like the saying, "when it rains it pours." So they were defending everything. But we cant stop playing just because they have turned up the heat. And just with a snap of a finger, SSC was down again by a large margin. This time I was completely ineffective. Maizo was destroying our defense as we could not defend her at the net or on the floor. Our weak spot was being exposed to the fullest.


It was starting to look like game one, and today I was thinking, there is no way we can do this twice. But leave that in hands of Jeng, the Queen of swing herself. Jeng literally put the team on her back and carried us. With some great defensive plays by Jen S, Jen Manzano, and Jhoy we started to climb our way back into this match. Daphna too was getting hot with her blocking and putting down some crucial kills. I was so hyped and almost jealous I could not be apart of that on the court, but trust me I was enjoying it so much from the sidelines too. And can you believe SSC came all the way back again to snatch the set away from Navy, this time there were no extra points. The great part for me was that I had no part of it at all. To everyone saying, that we only have 2 players, and you can never win like that. Well today they won without me and that is ever so comforting.



The next two sets I really didn't do much either, and I didn't have to really. I just did my job to the best of my ability, which is all a team ever needs. Coach Roger says, "No one of you needs to be a Hero, we will all play." And he was so right tonight. We still were having problems defending Maizo, but we continued to weather the storm enough to stay on top and win the next two sets. We closed this set out better than we have done int he past. And I was really proud to be apart of this team on that day. We had done it. We are going to the "Ship. And I was ever so happy to finish it in two. There is a saying, " You can work hard now or later." So happy we worked hard now.



As for my last comments on playing the Navy... I hope the end of this game is the end of every underlying thing that has happened. The unfriendly glances, the resentment, the no shaking my hand after the match. Yes, i noticed and it pissed me off, but I'm over it now. Because.... Its a game. We play, we battle, we win or lose, but at the end of the day its still just a game. If we cant let by gones be by gones, well than I guess we will be rivals for the rest of our lives and that's cool too. Hey, not every story ends like Rocky and Apollo Creed! :)

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But, you can either run from it or, learn from it." The Lion King

We goin to the 'Ship! Hey!



Photos Courtest of Pinoy Spikers...

Oh Goody! We Play the Navy Again!

Okay, so the title is pure sarcasm, which I happen to speak fluently. Deal with it. But honestly speaking, we have trouble when were playing this team. They are a tough team that houses 2 of the leagues top players. Quite frankly they are intimidating to say the least. I don't know what it is exactly. Well I do, but I wont comment on that here. Lets just say I have enough "fans" and they let me HEAR about it every time we play. But this match is always "interesting" for lack of a more positive word. (I think I said this in a previous blog), and this night would not be any different. Split 1-1, this meeting in the semi finals could have gone either way and everyone knew it.

Playing the Navy always puts a little knot in my stomach due to our previous history. First time we met, we lost 0-3 in a match I don't believe we played well in at all. And because of certain actions that happened during that game, I've held a grudge ever since. The second time we clashed, two key players from both side went down with injuries. It was a 5 set thriller and some pretty darn good volleyball. But we know how much I love playing 5 sets.



Starting off the match, SSC came out pretty solid. Even though we were trailing, I was proud of us. Navy's Roces was on fire though. Keys 1 & 2 to the game is always to contain Roces and Bautista. They have a solid squad, so we want to force the others to beat us. Its kind of what teams do to Jeng and I. We were able to sustain a pretty nice lead and hold on for the win. Huge for us. But the problems always start when the 2nd set begins. This is where mental toughness comes up huge. Winning the first set is the easy part.


Second set started pretty evenly as well. They inserted Laborte in the line up and we were playing her for the first time since her ankle injury. Play was going on as usual, until Bautista came down on my foot after a tight play at the net. She winced in pain and all i could do was say sorry and wonder if she was okay. No one wants anything like this to happen. Being a fellow athlete who is THE Queen of ankle sprains I can really relate and I know how awful it can be. I severely tore two ligaments in my ankle about 3 years ago, playing in Finland. It was some of the most excruciating initial pain I have ever been in. I was out for a whole month on crutches.

So I know the whole deal. I have severely strained my ankle about 4 times where I have been on crutches and out of whatever sport I was playing at the time. SO I empathize and I wish that pain on no one.

After the match resumed, SSC went on a light run. Things were looking up on our side and I returned to the bench we were up 13-8. I remember, because it marked the beginning of a very long time before I would even return to the court. The Navy went on a treacherous run led my Roces in which she was simply unstoppable. Our side crumbled under pressure. All I could do was look on from the bench. After about 2 timeouts and constant attacks from the Navy, I was sure we had lost this set. The crowd had gone nuts over their run and I'm pretty sure it felt like we were playing in their arena. Finally I was able to enter the game again. This time to cheers, but a ton of boos. lol Anyways, the score was 16-23. No Lie. I'm thinking, what am I gonna do with this kind of deficit. But just like the Navy did not give up, we could not either.

So going back in the game, I knew we needed a run like no other. There was no room for error and we did just that. Combined with great serving from Daphna, and defense from our back row, we begin to climb ourselves out of this whole. We could only come back point, but point. Cant look at it as a 9 point deficit, just point by point. Before I knew it, we had come all the way back to have our first set point of the match. Well of course it didn't end there and there would be many more match points. I actually had to go out and come back in the game before we could finish it and when the last ball dropped on their side the score was 34-32 with us taking the victory. That set lasted 34 minutes. AMAZING volleyball to say the least.



The third and final set we would play was a bit more relaxed as the pressure was not on us any longer. Going up 2-0 after that remarkable set left me speechless. Now all we had to do was close. And now it felt like we were the villains of this league, well at least I felt it. Every time I would enter the game, I heard cheers, but there were still were very poignant boos. WOW! I thought. All that negative energy for little ole me. Yeah it was rude, but its all in the game. No I have not been personally booed like that. Ive been booed being apart of a team as a whole, but never personally just for me, so that was a new one. But really, when I am in the game, I am so focused and in the zone that stuff like that does not really bother me. It motivates me. My father always tells the story of when I played volleyball at Wisconsin and we were facing Illinois in a match. It was a very volatile atmosphere, but I barely remember. Its about focus. So Yes, I get it. For example, I am not the biggest Tom Brady fan. I think I have booed him actually. It happens, but the most important part is how one reacts to it. Ever heard of a guy by the name of Lebron James?

Finishing up the match, it really started to feel like we had accomplished something huge on our side. We cracked and then regrouped. That's what winning teams do, and if we are to be a winning team we have to be able to pick ourselves up and continue to strive for that common goal. One more game and we are in the finals. Focus!



Congrats to Rubie, the One-Armed Magician, De Leon for player of the Game with 52 excellent sets. Rubie was actually became an attacker this match as well. lol She loves hitting and if she digs the ball to me, I will set her. :)







"I'll be a fool to surrender when I know I can be a contender."

Photos are courtesy of Pinoy Spikers and Cesar Bailen Jr.

9/11: I Never Forget, This Is How I Remember

September.11.2011- WOW, writing that date, saying that date, seeing the date will always be synonymous with complete terror I witnessed early one Tuesday morning 10 years ago. But along with that terror we saw so much heroism and courage. I don't think the country has ever been so patriotic, and even though we were scared, it felt good to be apart of all the Patriotism. But you know what else? It felt good to stand after you have fallen. In athletics you lose, you are knocked down, you fall hard. But the most important thing is getting back up. For me sports has always been mine way to feel better and I think this country used it to heal as well.

A decade ago I was a senior at Lawrence North High School. 2001 wasn't an exceptional year. Okay that's a lie. It was huge for me. I had just discovered Club Volleyball which led to me being recruited to play D1 volleyball. I chose Wisconsin remember. I also was selected to play on the US Youth National team and trained that summer. The day after I returned, I found out one of my favorite singers ever, Aaliyah, had been killed in a plane crash. Started the school year with a full back page feature in the Indy Star and was expected to do big things on the court that year. Okay, so I was having a pretty awesome year... Oh and the Yankees were in the World Series... Yeah!

September 11th was not an ordinary day to me, as I was "skipping" school as apart of Senior Skip day at LN. The rest of the school was taking I-Step and there was no reason for me to be there. I eventually had to come because you have to be in attendance to participate in sports. Come on, I lived to play sports. So not really a skip day for me. I woke up and convinced my parents to let me stay home for the first couple periods. Unable to sleep I turned on Good Morning America and shortly thereafter, the program was interrupted with news of a plane hitting one of the WTC. At the same time, my father yelled upstairs saying the same news. Not really thinking much of it, I payed more attention to the report and it was minutes later that I saw a plane hit a building. Wait? Was that a replay?

Nope, I like many other Americans that morning had witnessed the 2nd plane flown into the south tower. By this time, my father was belligerently yelling, "we are under attack, America is under attack." I can only describe the next minutes as being one of the most terrifying horrific sights I have ever seen. We heard of 2 more hijacked planes in Pennsylvania and the Pentagon and it was like OMG, my country is under attack. It was scary. And then the unspeakable happened. The south tower collapsed and I was just frozen in emotion. I held my breath in sorrow. It was just unreal. Something from a movie, not real life. It was not until years later did it become clear to me, that we had just seen the murder of innocent people.

At this point, I thought what was the point of even going to school, like ever. We are at war, right? Would there be more hijackings? What city was next? Am I safe to go outside? I was miles away from NYC, but it felt like it happened right outside my window. It was so weird, because it was a sunny nice day outside. A little breezy, but nice. I drove to school and no one was on the roads. Creepy. Lawrence North was locked down; no one in or out. I was like, "what am I supposed to do, sit outside in my car? What if I get bombed out here?" As a 17 year old, yes I was thinking all sorts of crazy things. Finally letting us into the gym, I gathered with many other seniors arriving from their Skip day. We all sat there in complete shock! The rest of the day was pointless. Its all we talked about all day. Most teachers had the TV on. Many students had missed it because they were at school and were mostly filled in by others that saw it on TV.

All of the sporting events were canceled or postponed to a later date. It was a crazy time. It was a sad time. All you saw on TV were images of a gloomy, dust filled New York City, death tolls, and video of family members in search of their loved ones. But we also saw and heard the most heroic stories ever. Stories of Firemen and policemen and first responders that were going into the towers saving people. We heard the story of United Flight 93, and wow talk about the resiliency of some people. It was just inspiring and amazing.

As things got back to normal, or as normal as can be expected, we went back to doing what we do. For me that was being a student and of course being an athlete. There is nothing like relieving stress than spiking a ball right? Our first match back was against powerhouse Cathedral, and I remember that because just as we were exiting the bus, the song Proud to Be an American came on the radio. We all stopped in our tracks, remained on the bus and sang it, like it was nothing. It was a goose bumps experience. Man! And walking into that gym, I felt obligated to play the hardest ever for some reason. I mean men can run into unstable, fiery buildings, I think we can dive on the floor for a ball. In my four years at LN, I have never been on a team that has won a set against Cathedral. Seriously. So can I gloat and say we took the first set by such a large margin, the Irish left the court and returned to the locker room in between sets. WOW!

We lost to Cathedral in 3, but know that was a great day for me. I think everything I went through that day, was the same thing this country was going through. We were trying to find a way back. And just like I was releasing through spiking those balls, the nation was releasing by cheering on our sports teams. Especially the Yankees. America's past time had been shut down for a little while, but when it came back, people found a reason to get pumped up again. You have to remember the inspired play of Mr. November himself, flipping into stands to catch foul balls. And we all were proud Yankees then. Just like the Wildcats, the Yankees were defeated by the Diamondbacks, but no one really hung their heads. It was an amazing and inspiring series. A nation that had once been hurt and traumatized had a reason so stand up and cheer again.



So here I am 10 years later, doing the same thing. Bouncing a ball onto the other side of a court. Ive had my ups and downs. Ive won and lost, but one thing remains the same... i just cannot give it up. So on this day, September 11, 2011, we play the Philippine Navy. I wont forget. Never forget. I am the sole representative from America in this entire Shakey's V league. With red, white, and blue painted on my nails, and USA written on my taped up fingers, I remember all those lost on that day. And I remember all those lost defending our country ever since, keeping me safe so that I may continue to do what I love.



God Bless the United States of America

Final Match. Time to Regroup

September 6, 2011- Last game of the quarterfinal round. Although we have already qualified for the semis, this match was still important for a couple reasons. One, we still are in contention for the #1 spots, thanks to Maynilad's 3-1 victory over team Army a couple of days ago. Yes, I typed it, and it is just as shocking typing it as it is saying it. Army lost to Maynilad. So with that we both have a 4-1 standing that will come down to a point system. Secondly, this match is important to regroup as a team. After we were retired last match by the Army, I think it will do us good to get back on the right track.

This day we would be with only 7 players. The rest of the SSC team had traveled to Bocalod to play in a volleyball tournament. Best wishes to them as well. So it was really important to come in and take care of business off the top. 7 players with no substitutions is like playing with fire and we couldn't afford to play extra sets. WE needed to rest so we can be ready for the potential start of the semis on Thursday.


First set went pretty well. We started off exchanging points as most matches often start. Didn't really get on a run unto mid way through. Things seem to be going okay for us. Rubie was getting her hitters nice looks, Jill's and Jen's reception were awesome. Daf was putting away some long rallied balls as well. It was not perfect, but we were playing as a team. Maynilad stayed tough the whole way though. They have excellent offense coming from their open hitter, Joy Cases. That girl can jump! We also had trouble defending their middle Beverly Boto. But we were able to come out on top.

The next set would be a different story. We had trouble from the jump. Complacent again, I guess old habits die hard. Its so important after you win the first set, to come out with that same intensity and competitiveness in the second; especially in a league where it has been proven that anyone can beat anyone on any given night. For our team, relaxing is not for us. We cant seem to control it enough without becoming too relaxed. In a league where a point system is used to tie breaks, letting teams, in this case Maynilad score in the 20's will not help our cause at the end. For sure! Trailing in the late stages of the game and then tying the game up at 20, ever point became huge. Again we back ourselves in a wall, were we have to play under pressure. No bueno. With some good saves, defense and kills by, the Lady Stags were able to hold off Maynilad in set 2 as well.

Set 3 was also pretty even, with SSC having a slight edge. The important thing being up 2-0 now was to finish, which we have had problems doing as well. But we were able to hold off their run and take the 3rd set as well. Rube De Leon was awarded player of the game, and boy has her serving helped us out a lot lately. She is now leading the leagues in aces.




With our final game in the book, the only questions would be, "will it enough?" " Did we win by enough to take over the lead?" "Who might we play next round? It was a very tangled web. 1st place was still up for grabs and apparently so was 3rd and 4th place. The match following ours would determine who makes the finals. Currently the standings are :

1. Army 4-1
1. SSC 4-1 { Im pretty sure Army has the lead simply because of sets won/lost
3. Ateneo 2-2
4. Navy 2-3
5. Airforce 1-3
6. Maynilad 1-4

The next would determine the semis for sure with Ateneo facing off against the Airforce. It Ateneo wins, then they are 3-2 and secure 3rd place. If Airforce wins, they force a 3 way tie with Ateneo and Navy. At least 1 playoff match would be played.

The plot always thickens doesn't it?

Photos are courtesy of Kristine De Guzman Ilano. Thanks for the wonderful photos.

We Couldnt Hit the Floor With the Ball.... Literally

September 1, 2011- Ever heard the saying in sports... "the ball just wouldn't go in." or the "ball just wouldn't drop." Sometimes you might say, "we couldn't hit the floor with the ball." All those sayings are implying that the player did all they could and it was the ball that would not co-operate. Well that was not the case on this night. The ball had nothing to do with our complete breakdown on this night.

It was another over-hyped night at the San Juan Flying Arena. WE just witnessed a pretty impressive match before ours where Ateneo defeated the Navy team. Coming into this match, in all honesty, I was exhausted; both mentally and physically. Something in the air just told me that this would not be a night of celebration of Team SSC.

Let me preface this. We had just come off not one, but two thrilling 5-set matches that were played to the max. In both of those matches, I was nursing some ailment wrong with my body. And I believe everyone else was tired as well. Our libero Jen was still day to day with her knee injury. So on paper were might have looked like a strong team, but walking onto that court, know it was not the case. I was not 100% at all and my body knew it. My knee was locking up. I couldn't jump with ease. I was in pain. But what could I do. I had to play right?

You ever just get that feeling that tells you that something is about to go wrong. That the mess is about to hit the fan. Yeah that was exactly how I was feeling right before this match. I had this same feeling the fist time we played the Army, and here it was again manifesting itself. Not fear, just uncertainty. But athletes go through that. no excuses. Suck it up. I stepped onto the court and just completely could not help anything. I mean really, I kept saying to myself, I dunno if I can help us tonight.



The first set was tight, but fortunately for us, we had the edge. Great plays from Jeng, Jhoy , Rubie and some huge blocks and touches from Jill, kept us up and in the match. Honestly I don't remember contributing at all the first set. The Army team was on me like white on rice, yet I kept getting set. Soooo again what can you do but battle. I'm gonna get blocked. I'm gonna hit the ball out. I'm gonna fall. I am not perfect. I don't think people really understand that. The Army has just as good if not better players as I. This whole league does. The only thing I can control is getting back up, dusting myself off and going on to the next point. That's probably the most frustrating thing to me. So its great that the team carried me that first set.

Now the next sets, I really cannot express without being so angry. Because we totally lost focus with everything. As Jen left the match with knee pain, so did our reception and defense. It was a huge blow to us. I love having Jenny back there, because she is such a leader. She directs traffic back there. I can hear her talking to everyone, to me and it makes me feel secure somehow. So when she is out, it leaves a big role vacant, not only physically, but verbally.

The Army had our number this night. They clearly had constructed a game plan to minimize our big hitters. One way to do that for sure is to serve tough. One can serve players out of a match. We allowed that to happen. With poor reception, our options were very limited. Pretty much all we had were free balls and high balls to the open position against a very well placed double block. Not much a team can do with that.

Defense was also missing. I remember hitting some pretty hard balls, like really nice balls. And the Army dug it and got it back over. I remember doing that many times and its like well that's good defense. Its gonna happen. They are a good team. What was unacceptable to me was free balls or chance balls or balls that are deemed easy, hitting the floor without anyone going for them. That made my blood boil. Its the little things... that come up big. You create your own luck, right. I figure the Army could sacrifice their body to keep a ball from hitting the floor, why couldn't we? They put themselves in positions to be lucky even if they were out of position. The ball was up off the floor. PERIOD.

Under pressure, we all started making horrible unforced errors that would doom us for sure. We had a slight comeback in the 4th set, but could not hold on to the lead and the Army took advantage and sealed our fate. All I can say is that we beat ourselves tonight and it was very disappointing. I can say that Jhoy Benito really played well on the outside. At times she was the only person from our side that could find the open court.

Leaving the court that day, I can say I was more disappointed than mad. I felt like I had let my team down. I felt like I couldn't help us win. I felt like I couldn't help us get better. I know no one person can lose a game, but on that night I felt helpless. We for sure as a team lost that match. The bottom-line is we fell apart and did not play as a team. The Army team picked us apart and we let it happen. Loss of focus and uncertainty were the keys to our demise. I think it was a big lesson for us. Hopefully we can learn from it and move on. One thing is for sure. The road that championship goes through this Army team. Have to adjust.

"Ive missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. " - Michael Jordan

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

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!

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.