AFTER an emotional night that left her in tears, Arah Panique is finally getting what she’s been waiting for: another shot at La Salle, this time with the stakes at their highest in the UAAP Season 88 Finals.
READ: This time, Panique makes sure it was tears of joy she shed
And if there’s one thing clear, Panique isn’t merely ready. She's actually champing at the bit.
“Ako po, siyempre, eager na eager po ako makabawi sa La Salle,” she shared with SPIN.ph, still carrying the weight of their second round meeting when her net touch violation put the Lady Spikers over her and National U.
“Kasi nga po, yung nangyari nga po noon, gusto lang po namin na maipakita sa buong community namin na kayang-kaya namin matalo yung La Salle.”
Of course, that loss - a winnable one by their own admission - stung for quite some time. But out of that, emerged something they now wield in their hands.
After that defeat, the Lady Bulldogs' seniors immediately turned to former rookie-MVP Bella Belen, who sat frontrow during the match, to ask what they lacked.
And her answer was simple: courage.
“Kulang lang daw talaga kami sa tapang during that game,” Panique shared, echoing what had already been pointed out within their camp.
Now, facing a still-undefeated La Salle squad in a best-of-three series, that missing piece becomes the mission.
“This coming finals, kailangan pa namin ma-apply sa sarili namin kung paano namin tatapangan pa,” she added. “Makikita naman na may tapang, pero kailangan pa pong mas tapangan.”
Don't Panique, it's organic
The bounce-back-ability, though, has already started to show, especially in Panique, who unloaded an average of 21 points in back-to-back matches against University of Santo Tomas following that loss to the Lady Spikers.
Now, it's the green-and-white once more in front of her and two-time defending champion NU - and all of them are just eager to get on with it.
And maybe, just maybe, finally get one, at the very least, on their modern-day rivals.
“Sabi ko sa sarili ko yung nangyari na yun, kailangan kong mag-move on agad. Kailangan kong ipakita ulit kung ano yung kailangan kong ipakita. Mas makabawi para sa team,” she said.
In this championship chase for the blue-and-gold, it's no longer just about a possible three-peat.
It’s also about rewriting a moment and proving that this time, they have the courage to see through a good ending.
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