PAST is past. The present is a gift.
That's what Casiey Dongallo is now living by, as she plays her first season in maroon-and-green.
And as fate would have it, her first time playing for the University of the Philippines just had to come against University of the East - you know, her old alma mater.
"Naka-move on na siguro lahat kung ano man yung nangyari before. And I'm happy na nasa UP na ako," she told reporters after contributing 13 points in the Fighting Maroons' four-set triumph over the Lady Warriors to start the season.
READ: UP keeps tormenting UE with season-opening four-set win
Much more than meeting her old flame again, though, what mattered for Dongallo was reconnecting with her one and true love: volleyball.
Casiey comeback
Playing in the UAAP for the first time in two years, the Cebuana spiker flashed glimpses of the super scorer she was back in Season 86 before heading back to the dugout due to tightening in her back.
There's no need to worry, however, as she exited the venue a-ok in terms of her health - and with her spirit high as it ever was, all thanks to her teammates.
"Hindi ko alam kung bakit hindi ko naramdaman yung kaba compared noon Season 86. I was just excited to come back, and I was just ready," she said.
"Yung teammates ko, hindi rin nila pinaramdam na dapat akong kabahan. Pinaramdam nilang andoon sila sa likod ko."
And now, Dongallo is dead set on doing her part to book State U a ticket to the playoffs after a near-decade absence.
As she put it, "Every training, every game, mina-mindset namin as a team na gusto naming makapunta sa Final Four. Pero hindi namin pine-pressure yung sarili namin. One day at a time lang."
Past is part. The present is a gift. And the future? Well, it's all in Dongallo and UP's hands.
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