LA SALLE is on the doorstep of history, but the Lady Spikers are making sure to remember to take it one step at a time.
They're now just one win away from completing a 14-game elimination round sweep in UAAP Season 88, a feat it last pulled off back in Season 76. More than that, a direct ticket to the finals is also on the line.
READ: Sweep within La Salle's reach after taking care of business vs UE
Make no mistake, though, inside the Taft camp, there is no talk of perfection.
“‘Di naman mawawala ‘yung pressure pagdating sa’min. Siyempre, nandu’n ‘yung pressure na kailangang manalo,” said assistant coach Gian de Jesus, shot-caller Ramil de Jesus' son.
“Lagi namang pinapaalalahanan ni coach (Ramil) na score lang ‘yan, number lang ‘yan. Kailangan pa rin mag-focus sa kung anong nasa harapan mo, which is NU ngayon. One game at a time and sana, hopefully, maganda pa rin ‘yung ipakita namin.”
La Salle aims for championship
That has been the constant reminder from longtime mentor RDJ, who has built the program from the ground up and knows better than to let numbers define a season.
Because for the Lady Spikers, 14-0 is just a figure on paper if it does not translate to a championship.
“We don’t worry about this streak that we have that’s 13-0. We worry about how we perform and if we perform what we have done in training. Being disciplined and staying true to the system that the coaches are teaching us," said team captain Shevana Laput.
With the two-time defending champion Lady Bulldogs up next to end the elims, and perhaps yet again come the title series, La Salle knows the climb only gets steeper from here.
History may be within reach, but when it comes down to it, the only number that matters is the one at the very end: two wins in the finals.
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