IN WHAT WAS supposedly another humdrum season, two newcomers from the San Beda, Angel Mae Habacon and Sophie Cagalawan of the Lady Red Spikers, helped in altering narratives. They rewrote the storyline set for the women’s volleyball team and preemptively hinting towards a chance at the peak of the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Women’s Volleyball tournament.
Undeterred by their NCAA Season 99 run—a familiar outing in Season 98—Habacon and Cagalawan proved themselves to be diamonds in the rough – rising to the occasion and cementing their place in the future of the Lady Red Spikers.
The only way is up
Following their forgettable Season 98 performance, the University decided to rebuild its Women’s Volleyball program. During this period, the Lady Red Spikers employed the services of veteran coach Edgar Barroga, the Head Coach of the Quezon City Gerflor Defender, who accumulated titles in the boys’ volleyball division of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and played in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).
In an exclusive interview with The Bedan, Angel shared that she was recommended by a certain Ate Max [Tayag] to the previous coach of the Lady Red Spikers. “Ate Max recommended me to the previous coach, and they accepted me and welcomed me to be part of the team last 2022,” she stated.
On Sophie’s end, she became a Lady Red Spiker from the opportunity she was given. This opportunity arose during her time in Bacolod Taytung High School’s volleyball program under the leadership of Mr. Jose “Boy” Montalbo – which led to scholarship offers and eventually to the Lion’s Den. “I was blessed to have landed in San Beda because I was able to challenge myself to my limits with the help of our coaches, staffs, and our dear sponsor – Marinerang Pilipina,” Cagalawan said.
The Bedan community saw nothing out of these recruitments at first, but their pre-season performance sparked interest and talk among the crowd.
The same spark and talk of the crowd turned into flames and clangor with the commencement of Season 99 Women’s Volleyball Tournament. Despite the losses inflicted to the San Beda Lady Red Spikers, Bedans and non-Bedans took notice of Angel and Sophie’s play throughout the tournament.
With Season 99 coming to an end, both Habacon and Cagalawan are rookies who proved that they could keep up with the big dogs and dominate such big dogs as well. However, volleyball is a team sport. The San Beda Lady Red Spikers will be needing a couple more pieces and be more battle-tested before they can place themselves into collegiate volleyball royalty.
The numbers back it up
The Lady Red Spikers finished the season with three wins, one more than the previous season. However, most of their losses came from five-set thrillers, signaling the team’s never-say-die attitude. One of the main forces behind these gritty matches was Angel Mae Habacon, an open spiker phenom from Bislig, Surigao Del Sur who rocked everyone’s seat highlight after highlight.
In her NCAA debut, she was able to shine even in the brightest of lights, eventually becoming the NCAA Season 99 Women’s Volleyball Rookie of the Year. She led the league in total points scored at the end of the elimination round, with 207 points. The next player that led in scoring only had 174 points, a vast 33-point gap behind Habacon.
The 21-year-old ace was also declared as one of the best servers in the league, averaging an efficient 41% success rate by set.
One of the games which put Habacon into the radar of other teams was her breakout game against the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Lady Bombers, racking a career-high 36 points in their five-set victory.
Moreover, Habacon has also displayed her two-way prowess both indoors and on the sand, taking part in the NCAA Season 99’s Women’s Beach Volleyball Tournament. In that tournament, the team made a deep run, eventually clinching silver.
However, despite all her accolades and accomplishments, she still felt that she fell short. Angel admitted to The Bedan that the team did the best they could. While it is quite unfortunate for the team to rack more losses than wins, the future is bright for the team.
On one hand, Cagalawan, a 19-year-old outside hitter from Negros Occidental, proved to be one bright spot of the Lady Red Spikers.
Aside from her 20-point outing in their regular season match against the JRU Lady Bombers alongside Habacon, Cagalawan also posted significant accolades since. Outside of the NCAA, she bagged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) honors in the Lady Red Spiker’s 1st Manila Women’s Cup crown.
Reflecting upon Season 99
Habacon and Cagalawan had their own set of experiences throughout Season 99 – both good and bad.
Cagalawan revealed that it was certainly a challenge heading into this season. Nevertheless, she saw the opportunities presented by these challenges. “But when we look at the positive side, we were able to learn a lot in our games. I learned my weaknesses and areas to improve on,” she said.
Meanwhile, Habacon shared that there was plenty of room for improvement to be made. Aside from this, she was amused, realizing how she feels like a “different person” each game.
“In each game, I feel like I am a whole new different person. I am amazed by how I can do new different things inside the court,” she expressed. Habacon attributed this to her happiness brought by the trust of the team, allowing her to confidently display her skill and showcase what she is truly capable of.
Heading into season 100
With all teams set on achieving success in the historical NCAA Season 100, the Lady Red Spikers will have to step up to the plate—now with the help of these rookie rising stars to reinforce the relatively young squad.
The last time the Lady Red Spikers entered the final four contention was in NCAA Season 94 in 2019. “When we look at the positive side, we were able to learn a lot in our games… and our team has also seen a glimmer of hope with our performance as a young squad,” Cagalawan emphasized. “The Bedan community can expect a Sophie Cagalawan who will never back down and quit.”
From the eyes of the Rookie of the Year, Habacon dismissed her expectations for the centennial season of the NCAA. However, she had this to say.
“…I will make sure that I will work harder and give my very best for the San Beda University and the Bedan community to give its championship title in Women’s volleyball,” Habacon emphasized, expressing her and the Lady Red Spikers’ championship aspirations.
Habacon added that the team will be locking in for the championship run given how the Lady Red Spikers are prepared to do everything in their power just to get the title that they have been longing for.
Now entering her sophomore season for NCAA Season 100, she then reassured the Bedan community that the team will perform better in the next season. “The San Beda Lady Red Spikers would have its reinforcements because there will be new additions to the team, and there will be a much stronger core,” Habacon said.
Although we have yet to see the greatest extent of their competitive pedigrees in Angel Mae Habacon and Sophie Cagalawan, the rookie duo is expected to step up as the main cannons next season.
With the Lady Red Spikers hungrier to prove themselves, their future looks promising as is their quest for glory.