FOR years, National U’s Lams Lamina lived in a reality not even a handful of student-athletes ever experience where the championship round wasn't a goal, but actually an expectation.
From her high school days all the way to her final UAAP season, Lamina turned in a career defined by consistency, composure, and championships.
Eleven straight finals appearances later, she had seen almost everything the sport could offer at the collegiate level.
The multi-titled setter's final game as a Lady Bulldog did not end in celebration, however. Instead, it ended in silence, tears, and long embraces with the people who shaped her journey in Jhocson.
“Alam mo po, 'di ko talaga alam,” Lamina told SPIN.ph, still processing the weight of the moment.
“Sobrang emotional ako kasi tapos na yung paglalaro ko for NU. Yun po talaga yung mami-miss ko, lalo na teammates, coaches, and managers.”
For somebody who had a huge hand in building the blue-and-gold as a force to reckon with in modern-day women's volleyball, the end came in defeat - specifically to the very La Salle side that has long set the standard for the sport.
Even so, the steady playmaker did not allow regret to take root.
“Never akong magsisisi na ginamit ko yung isang taon,” she said, as she, of course, could've gone the route the likes of Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon took of forgoing their final years of eligibility.
“Happy ako kasi nakaabot kami ng finals. Proud ako sa team kasi kahit sinabing rebuilding, nakalaban kami. Hindi naman all the time nasa taas ka. Sometimes, nasa baba ka at may purpose yun.”
After all, this was not just another finals run. For Lamina, it was fulfulling a promise she made to herself and her seniors.
“Promise ko sa sarili ko, kahit wala sila (Belen, Solomon, among others,) maidadala ko sila (NU) sa finals,” she shared. “Gift namin yun sa kanila.”
A proper rebuild for NU
Now, as she steps out of the UAAP and decides to join the 2026 PVL Draft, Lamina carries all the lessons she learned being a key cog in the Lady Bulldogs' dynasty.
“All throughout the game, kailangan mong ilaban,” she said. “Kapag binigyan ka ng opportunity, dapat i-grab mo.”
While Lamina moves forward, the gold-and-blue enters an even more uncertain offseason, with its fourth-year core weighing what comes next.
READ: Diego thankful for turn at NU's helm no matter what comes next
Team captain Vange Alinsug and Myrtle Escanlar remain undecided on whether to turn pro or stay on for one last ride.
Chammy Maaya is leaning toward staying if the core remains intact, while the league’s best libero Shaira Jardio is widely expected to return and anchor the defense.
Meanwhile, Alexa Mata continues to carefully weigh her volleyball future alongside her family considerations.
But even as decisions hang in the balance, Lamina believes the foundation she helped establish will endure.
“Yung pag-iiwanan naman namin, mga nakapag-ugali sila galing sa champion team,” she said. “Tingin ko, papangalagaan nila yun.”
In the end, Lamina's story wasn't punctuated by yet another championship.
Still, she exits like she has always played: cool, calm, collected, and certain that every ending is just another beginning waiting at the other side of the net.
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