Tears, cheers for Lady Maroons

MANILA, Philippines -  The tears flowed freely for the troika of Kathy Bersola, Nicole Tiamzon and Princess Gaiser after University of the Philippines’ dream season took a nightmarish end.

The Lady Maroons had been tipped as a Final Four team in UAAP Season 79 women’s volleyball tourney and after a 4-0 start pundits seemed to be on point.

But things turned sour and the UP volleybelles managed to end with 7-7 – a win short of forcing at least a playoff for the semis berth.

When the emotions somehow subsided, the three graduating players came to realize how good their journey had been in general.

From a one-win season, the Lady Maroons gradually picked up more victories in the next years and eventually landed in the Final Four last year.

“I think we achieved something,” said Bersola, a candidate for Summa Cum Laude. “We’ll be leaving a legacy in the fact that we tried to bring back the winning ways of UP.”

Gaiser, who was left to being a cheerleader after suffering an ACL in the first round, agreed. “I feel blessed seeing how we improved our record through the years.”