Maicah’s magic rooted in La Salle resilience
In Filipino sports lingo, they are called the magic bunot—a bench player picked seemingly straight out of nowhere to provide their team much-needed spark during crucial moments.
During La Salle’s title clincher in UAAP Season 85, the diminutive outside hitter was injected into the third-set starting roster as the team faced a two-set deficit against defending champions National University.
The gamble proved to be a game-changer for the Lady Spikers as they mounted an incredible comeback to secure their 12th UAAP title in women’s volleyball.
In the PVL, Larroza is at it again.
Or, rather, the coaches are at it again, pulling the former La Salle standout off the bench to be a reliable spark plug, this time for Farm Fresh.
Coming off a minor off-season injury, Larroza debuted for the Foxies on Tuesday as a service specialist.
“Every time I was subbed in, I didn’t just think about doing a safe serve,” said Larroza, the No. 4 overall pick during the inaugural Rookie Draft.
“I wanted the other team to have a hard time receiving.”
True to her word, she delivered two crucial aces, including the game-winning serve, to help Farm Fresh overcome the Galeries in a marathon match, 25-22, 35-37, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10.
With the win, the Foxies barged into the win column after opening the Reinforced Conference with back-to-back losses.
Larroza credited her ability to perform under pressure to her former collegiate mentor Ramil De Jesus.
“It’s about courage and resilience. It’s about pride in playing the game. That’s what I carried with me (from La Salle),” she said.
The Farm Fresh rookie acknowledged the magic bunot label given to her by fans but chooses not to focus on it.
For Larroza, what matters is helping the team in whatever way she can: from the service line, at the backcourt, or in front of the net.
“Of course, if I think about it all the time, I’ll put pressure on myself to perform when I play,” she said. “I just don’t think about it. I just do my best and contribute whatever I can to the team on the court.”
Larroza will have another chance to make an impact for the Foxies as they face Nxled on Saturday. INQ
