Cebuana Marianne Calinawan ready to help FEU win crown

ECSTATIC as they may be over their semifinal conquest of the Ateneo Lady Eagles, Cebuana spiker Marianne Calinawan asserted that they remain hungry for the crown in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament when they go up against the “three-peat” seeking La Salle Lady Archers starting with Game 1 on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The crew of head coach George Pascua defeated Ateneo, 25-20, 25-21, 14-25, 25-19, in the semifinals last Saturday to gain a spot in the best-of-three finals, where the vaunted Lady Archers, who are making their 10th straight appearance in the championship round, await.

The win also broke a long nine-year finals drought for FEU.

However, the Lady Tams have set their eyes on the UAAP title, which they have not won in a decade.

“The feeling is a bit overwhelming especially if you think that FEU has not made it to the finals in the last nine years. However, coach told us not to be complacent since reaching the finals is not our ultimate goal, but rather it’s to win the title,” said Calinawan, who previously played for Southwestern University-Phinma in high school. “We haven’t reached our goal but we’re almost there so we shouldn’t relax.”

The Talisay City-native related that this particular season has been very unpredictable. And cliché as it may be to say, Calinawan said that this finals encounter with the mighty Lady Archers would boil down to which team wants it more.

“We’re just focused on training and studying our opponents. As coach said, this finals affair will be decided not on skill alone but also heart, smarts and the overall desire to win. After all, we already know each player on the other team. We more or less, also know their plays so really, it’s the fearlessness that would matter most in this series,” Calinawan said.