MANILA, Philippines – The La Salle Lady Spikers had plenty of reasons to defeat the UP Fighting Maroons in the continuation of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday, March 2.
Not only is the vaunted La Salle program coming off its worst season start in 19 years, but the Lady Spikers were also looking to avoid sliding to a 1-3 hole and a drop to seventh place despite their title contender status.
Middle blocker Lilay del Castillo, meanwhile, had her own winning drive unique only to her, and it manifested in full force as she scored 11 points on big splits of 3 attacks, 4 blocks and 4 aces in La Salle’s eventual four-set win.
“I’m super duper happy that my performance is like this today, as I said when I woke up that I’d dedicate this game to my nanay, whose birthday is today. It’s her 61st birthday today and I said I’ll do my best to make her proud,” she said in Filipino.
Although Lilay is now coming into her own as a defensive anchor in her sophomore season, her mother Lilian unfortunately never saw her growth as a player, as she passed away in December 2023, two months before Lilay’s rookie campaign.
Still, Lilian would most definitely be proud of what her daughter has become, as Lilay is now a fiery, capable replacement to star blocker Thea Gagate and is one of Ramil de Jesus’ young, but trusted on-court soldiers.
“I know she has the best seat in the arena always, so I said I’ll do my best for my nanay always,” Lilay continued. “I want to do more every day. This [kind of game] could be the standard but it shouldn’t dip.”
“I should only go higher from here every game and every training. That’s where I get my confidence that hopefully translates to games so the trust the team places in me won’t be wasted.” – Rappler.com