CASIEY Dongallo once burst onto the UAAP as a scoring machine not too long ago.
In her lone season with University of the East in Season 86, the California Academy standout quickly made her mark, dropping a then-rookie record 30 points against Far Eastern University and finishing with 291 total points, a freshman benchmark at the time.
She narrowly missed Rookie of the Year honors to University of Santo Tomas’ Angge Poyos, but her reputation as a prolific scorer was firmly established.
Dongallo proved she could live in the 20-point range and occasionally erupt for 30 on any given night.
That version of the 20-year-old Cebuana winger, however, is still a work in progress in Diliman.
Now with the University of the Philippines, Dongallo has yet to fully rediscover that explosive form, averaging just 10.67 points in her first three games of Season 88.
But there were promising signs in the Fighting Maroons’ seismic 16-25, 16-25, 25-22, 31-29, 18-16 reverse sweep of defending champion National U on Saturday.
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The 5-foot-7 outside hitter exploded for 20 points, erasing four of the Lady Bulldogs' eight match points and delivering two crucial set points in a dramatic extended fourth set.
“Speechless ako. Hindi ko po ma-process ‘yung emotions ko ngayon kasi siyempre, first time namin ‘to manalo against a big team,” she said.
“Nasa isip ko lang po talaga at that time is to fight for the team kasi laging sinasabi ng seniors namin na nandito na kami and wala namang mawawala sa amin kung ibibigay lang namin lahat.”
Casiey back?
Can it now be said that she's already back to her rookie form? Not quite yet.
But what resurfaced against NU was the confidence that defined her breakout year. And for Dongallo, that’s already a very crucial step forward.
“Sa laro naman ngayon, nangibabaw ‘yung kumpyansa talaga sa sarili dahil sa gabay din nila,” she said, crediting her coaches and teammates.
“Nandun na rin ‘yung need na I have to contribute to the team. Hindi pwedeng parang nandu’n lang ako sa loob ng court para mabuo yung six. Although marami pa akong kailangan i-improve, but I can also say na I'm getting there.”
For Dongallo, the scoring touch may still be finding its way back, but the self-belief is already here.
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