LAST week for Shaq delos Santos has been a collision of pride and pain.
Just as Cignal secured a silver medal finish in the recently-concluded PVL All-Filipino Conference, the team he helped steer through years of contention filed a leave of absence and left more questions than answers.
Of course, the development wasn’t easy to process for the veteran tactician.
“Sobrang laki ng utang na loob ko sa Cignal,” he said. “Grabe yung opportunity na binigay nila sa akin and then yung respect na natanggap ko sa kanila.”
READ: Gratitude all that is left as Super Spikers move on from Cignal
Through highs and lows, the Super Spikers became more than just a team.
“All throughout, nandyan sila through ups and downs. And I’m so grateful,” he added.
But gratitude doesn’t cancel out the weight of the moment.
“Mabigat pa rin,” he admitted. “Kailangan ma-handle mo talaga yung mga sitwasyon na ‘yan, tulungan ko rin yung sarili ko na makapag-move forward.”
“I think lahat naman may purpose. Tuloy-tuloy lang and I’m sure magiging ok din yung lahat.”
Still, less than 24 hours after absorbing this new reality for Cignal, he had to step back into competition - this time, in the UAAP for University of Santo Tomas.
Big growl at Big Dome
Araneta Coliseum has not been kind to delos Santos lately.
Three straight losses - from the Super Spikers' finals sweep and University of Santo Tomas’ earlier setbacks - turned the venue into a source of frustration.
But on Wednesday, it became another chance.
The Golden Tigresses swept Adamson in the UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball stepladder, extending what has now become a full-fledged Cinderella run for the black-and-gold.
READ: Detdet Pepito is extra fuel to UST's already-burning fire
In their mentor's view, this is a playoff push built not on forgetting, but on remembering.
“Hindi totally kalimutan yung mga past games, yun yung pinaghuhugutan namin. Pwede naming baguhin kung ano man yung bad na result,” he stated.
And so, instead of dwelling on how it lost its final eliminations game and had to go through a knockout bout for No. 4 just to get on the stepladder, UST has turned all of that into determination.
Now, the Golden Tigresses have come through in back-to-back must-win matches - and doing so once more against two-time defending champion National U will send them back to the title series.
They have momentum, even as up next for them is the very same Lady Bulldogs who frustrated them at the end of elims.
They will continue to push beyond their limits, because behind them is a coach doing the same.
“Mahirap, nakakapagod, pero blessing ‘to. Ibig sabihin, kahit papaano, naka-survive,” said delos Santos.
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