IT’S been three long years since Alyssa Valdez last won a championship and she's pretty excited over the opportunity to end the title drought.
“After three years ba? After last year ko ‘no, UAAP?” Valdez said in response to questions on when she last won a championship, shortly after a 25-15, 25-18, 25-16 win over Pocari Sweat-Air Force enabled Creamline to reach the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference finals.
Valdez 's last championship came in the 2015 Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference with an all-star PLDT team that also included Jaja and Dindin Santiago and Denden Lazaro, to name a few.
The following year, she lost to a Myla Pablo-led Pocari Sweat when her Bureau of Customs team finished runner up in the Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference.
Now Valdez said she's all fired up for the finals.
“Actually first time ko rin ulit ma-feel and fire and desire to keep going back to the training, to train harder every after match,” said Valdez, who won back-to-back titles in the UAAP in 2014-2015 with the Ateneo Lady Eagles.
“Ang tagal na alam mo sa totoo lang iba kasi din ‘yung pakiramdam ng nagfa-finals,” she added.
But the pride of San Juan, Batangas, does not want to put too much pressure on herself ahead of the finals showdown with PayMaya, saying she wants to enjoy every game.
“As an athlete that’s one of the goals, ‘yung manalo ka everytime naglalaro ka. But syempre may mga conflicts, may mga unfortunate events, everything happens for a reason,” she said.
“And we all know na darating din ‘yung time na makaka-abot ka ulit and dadating ‘yung time na siguro makakakuha ka ulit ng championship,” she said.