WHAT started as an honest mistake turned into a spoken truth for La Salle and its rookie setter Eshana Nunag.
Back in March, former Lady Spikers Majoy Baron, Kianna Dy, and Kim Fajardo were in attendance for the green-and-white's UAAP Season 88 first round match against Adamson.
In a 'Mic'd Up' video by PusoPilipinas, the former Taft champions shared a laugh after Dy mistakenly blurted out that Nunag's name was 'Sunshine' - which, in all fairness, sounds a lot like her legitimate nickname of 'Shan-Shan.'
Fast forward to today, though, and it may very well be that, in that moment, Dy manifested an important part of La Salle's dominant season sweep leading to a redemption title.
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Nunag was, indeed, the 'Sunshine' that came after two years in the darkness of finishing bronze medalists then runners-up (for the Lady Spikers' uber-high standards, of course).
And when SPIN.ph asked her about her new name, which is now how 'lumots' lovingly refer to her, Nunag was very much game to own it.
“Feel ko po, parang fitting din sa personality ko,” she said. “Kasi parang happy-happy lang naman po ako sa loob.”
“Kahit honest mistake po siya, 'di ko siya in-expect na mag-stick sa mga fans. Pero at least, may nickname po ako sa fans na alam kong sa Lasallian community lang.”
Now, the first-year playmaker also has one thing that shines as bright as her new name: a championship.
“Proud lang din po kasi kahit first year ko, siyempre may jitters pa na nararamdaman, [pero] nakapag-contribute pa rin ako sa team," she said.
“Feel ko, naswertehan nga rin po ako sa batch na naabot ko. They were the seniors na iisa lang po yung vision for this season: na kukunin lang talaga yung championship. Yun po, maaasahan sila and very good seniors.”
'Sunshine' at setter
Most definitely, seniors Angel Canino, Shevana Laput, and Amie Provido held their end of the bargain, Nunag also emerged as one of the top neophytes in her class - so much so that she, a setter, challenged eventual Rookie of the Year Sam Cantada, National U's high-scoring spiker, for the award.
More importantly, however, at just 18 years old, she stabilized the playmaking position for La Salle, which shuffled through Julia Coronel, Juls Tolentino, and Mikole Reyes following the days of Kim Fajardo, Mich Cobb, and Mars Alba.
With Nunag orchestrating the offense, all clicked into place and the Lady Spikers were firing on all cylinders en route to just the third perfect run in UAAP women's volleyball history.
“Yung goal po talaga this season, mag-champion. 'Di ko po masyadong naisip yung individual (award) kasi coming into the season, kala ko nga po, 'di ako mapapansin or what,” she said.
“Our plan is to play lang, ilaro ko lang po ito for our seniors and for coach Ramil [de Jesus]. Yun lang po.”
That, she did and more. And for the next four years, La Salle is out to continue to seize the day with 'Sunshine' in its corner.
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