FOR roughly a decade, Lams Lamina spent her volleyball career building a winning culture inside National University.
Now, she steps into uncharted territory where none of those achievements automatically guarantee anything.
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As the former Lady Bulldog prepares for the 2026 PVL Rookie Draft, Lamina admitted that whatever she accomplished in NU will only matter if she can prove herself all over again at the professional level.
“Sobrang taas pa po [ng bar ko] kasi wala pa po akong napatunayan dito sa pro eh,” said Lamina.
And yet few prospects in this year’s class arrive with a collegiate track record as decorated as hers.
Lamina finished her stay in Jhocson with seven Best Setter awards spanning the UAAP juniors and seniors divisions along with the Shakey’s Super League, all while steering National U to six championships across multiple tournaments.
Still, the graduating playmaker considers those accomplishments as chapters already closed.
Even with many projecting her to land as high as No. 2 or safely within the top four of this year’s draft, Lamina said expectations surrounding her draft stock hardly occupy her attention as the bigger challenge now lies in rediscovering herself in a completely different environment.
“For myself naman po, ‘yun po ‘yung goal ko na may mapatunayan na naman po sa sarili ko na, ‘ay, kaya ko pala ulit magiging gano'n kung saan at kung anuman po ‘yung pangarap ko,” she said.
“Kung ano lang po ako sa UAAP as a rookie, ganun lang din po siguro ‘yung mangyayari sa pro. Kung gaano ko po kamahal ‘yung volleyball, kung gaano ko po binibigay ‘yung 100 percent best effort ko, ganu’n lang po ‘yung gagawin ko.”
Set the bar higher
After checking off nearly every dream she once envisioned in college volleyball, Lamina now shifts her focus toward creating an even bigger future for herself as a professional athlete.
That road, however, also means going up against some of the league’s most established setters such as Jia de Guzman, Gel Cayuna and several other veteran floor generals already thriving in the PVL.
But instead of measuring herself against them, Lamina chooses to focus only on the journey ahead of her.
“Hindi ko naman po iniisip ‘yung kanila kasi may sarili naman po kaming paths at journeys. Mas magfo-focus po ako sa sarili ko dahil mabibigyan po ako ng opportunity na ipakita dito sa pro ‘yung paglalaro ko po.”
For Lamina, the next phase of her career is not about protecting her legacy from college as it is about proving she can create an even bigger one in the pros.
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