SWU’s Necca Rose dela Llana (CONTRIBUTED).
Southwestern University (SWU) open spiker Necca Rose dela Llana has spent her entire collegiate volleyball career helping the Lady Cobras win titles in the Cesafi women’s volleyball tournament.
As she prepares to play what could be her final game with SWU, the 20-year-old vowed to do whatever she can to give the Lady Cobras their fourth straight crown in the league and seventh overall in eight years.
The Lady Cobras shoot for a four-peat when they take on the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) in Game 2 of the best-of-three finals on Sunday at the University of San Carlos (USC) Main gym.
SWU currently leads USJ-R, 1–0, after scoring a 25–15, 20–25, 27–25, 25–19 win in Game 1 last Nov. 6.
For Dela Llana, the chance of having to play for another championship excites her. But the fact that it might be her last game also saddens her.
“It’s a bitter sweet feeling coming into Game 2,” said Dela Llana, who is set to finish her bachelor’s degree in physical education in March 2017. “When I think about it, my heart beats faster.”
The Tanjay City, Negros Oriental native said that her mind-set coming into Sunday is just to help the team in any way as possible, whether it’s inside the court or from the sidelines.
“Since I started playing in the league, I was not really part of the first six. But still, my mind-set as always is to remain focused if ever given the chance to play and do the best that I can do to help the team win,” she said.
Dela Llana said she has learned to accept her role in the team but admitted she once doubted herself for not being able to make the team’s starting six. But she didn’t let that affect her passion for the game.
She said she learned throughout the years that volleyball is about trusting your teammates and enjoying every moment on the court.
“You tend to belittle yourself for being a bench warmer and even lose hope. But what keeps me going are the people who see the best in me, who believes in my capabilities and who never left my side,” she said.
When asked about her future plans for volleyball, Dela Llana said she will first take care of her education before thinking about the options.