ATHLETICS

Second Serving
Ms. Aimee Apolinario, XS Volleyball Player

Posted Tuesday, 05-Dec-2006 3:39 PM

      The second round of the eliminations in the Faculty and Staff Athletics Association of Private Schools (FASAAPS) women’s volleyball tournament transpired from November 15 to November 29, 2006.

No-So-Good Start

      Last November 15, the Xavier lady spikers faced Don Bosco Makati at the Xavier High School gym. Like the first time that they met the black and yellow jerseys, Coach Mark Yap, was not around. Nevertheless, the team faced its foe.

      However, the XS team once more succumbed to the seemingly indomitable DB Makati team. With numerous reception errors, the blue and gold ladies hardly had the chance to set for a strong attack. The players seemed sluggish compared to the ever-prepared opponents.

      As the game progressed, newbie tosser, Grace Manatad (HS Math) teamed up with veteran tosser Lina Impelido (GS Guidance) and tried to lead the team to a rally in the second set.

      The team stepped up a bit too late in the game as it tried to make a comeback in the second set. Bringing the game to a tie at 22, every spectator, but the DB coach, held his breath. Unfortunately, an error caused XS the game in the end. (The scores: 4-25, 22-25)

Bouncing Back

      After the disappointing loss to Don Bosco Makati, the Xavier lady spikers got their game back as they faced the green shirts from La Salle Greenhills (LSGH) last November 22, 2006 at the Xavier HS gym.

      Playing with very high spirits, the team was able to rotate its players enabling them to maximize each and every player in the team. It was noticeable that scoring was mostly dependent on good service and reception, except for a few attacks coming from Tess Elizalde and Aimee Apolinario.

      However, at the end of the first set, Coach Mark Yap (HS Math) told his players that he is not entirely happy in spite of winning the opening set. He said that the team cannot merely rely on the opponent’s reception errors in order to score. He further stressed that their reception should also be accurate to enable the tosser to set the ball well and give their spikers clearing for a kill.

      In the second set, the Xavier volleyball team regrouped and saw spikes sent to the opposite court. The steady performance of the team eventually led to its third victory of the season. (The scores: 25-19, 25-19)

Decent Ending

      Despite confirming that a sweep by Don Bosco Makati would mean a championship for the black and yellow jerseys, Team Xavier did not lose heart in their last and final game of the season.

      With only seven players 7 players at hand, team captain Retzel Sanggalang (TRC) led the Xavier team to the Don Bosco Makati gym to face the Don Bosco Mandaluyong team last November 29, 2006. Once again playing without a coach, the Xavier spikers, were decided to win against the opponent.

      In the first set, the score see-sawed to and fro until it was brought to a deuce at 24. Eventually, the Xavier team got to win the set but not without losing its captain to a mild sprain during the game.

      During the next set, the blue and gold spikers struggled a bit as they adjusted their plays. However, the Don Bosco Mandaluyong did not give up easily as they managed to snatch the second set from Xavier. Moreover, Xavier’s Tina Rompe (TRC) became the second player to be injured in that game as she had a bad landing after spiking the ball. This forced the earlier injured Sanggalang to get back into action.

      Once the third set commenced, the Xavier team focused even more on its game. With the team captain reminding her teammates, “No pressure. Let’s just win the game,” the Xavier team just got back into the groove as they walked away with the victory that night. (The scores: 26-24, 20-25, 25-21)

What’s Wrong with Second?

      With its 4-2 card, the Xavier women’s volleyball team settled for second place in this year’s Faculty and Staff Athletics Association of Private Schools (FASAAPS) volleyball league.

     Despite the late confirmation that the league will push through and the last minute changes in the line up, the Xavier players put up a good performance this season. Truly, they remain to be one of the teams to watch out for in the leagues to come. Congratulations! Luceat Lux!

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