When Charo Soriano, Patty Taganas and Karla Bello finished their UAAP eligibility just after they lifted the Ateneo Lady Eagles to their first Final Four appearance in Season 70, people thought that the Katipunan-based squad would fall back to its dark ages anew.
Doubters were proven wrong when Ateneo played its first game in Season 71 last December 7, 2008.
Parading a lineup of talented rookies, Ateneo dragged the Adamson Lady Falcons, runners-up to the crown in the previous year, to a five-set thriller. The Lady Eagles eventually lost the game, but they sent a warning to the league that they meant business.
Angeline Gervacio, one of the rookies in the team that year, was that warning personified.
An athlete all her life, Gervacio was into swimming, golf, and gymnastics when she was a lot younger. She was about to become a competitive gymnast until her father taught her how to play volleyball. She immediately fell in love with the sport. Angeline then tried out for St. Scholastica College’s grade school volleyball team and made the roster. Even then, everybody was already impressed by her power.
“I guess it (power) comes naturally,” Gervacio said. “Some players leap higher, some move faster, while I spike the ball harder.”
Her powerful attacks helped her and high school (and now college) teammate Fille Cainglet carry the St. Scholastica’s College to several championships in the Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association. Her skills also got the attention of collegiate recruiters.
“I have been recruited by schools like La Salle and UP,” Gervacio said, “but I chose to go to Ateneo because it is the best school that can give me the academic support that I need.”
Scoring leader
In her first year in Ateneo, she immediately stepped up to become the team’s leading scorer. Awed by her strong attacks, volleyball pundits then predicted that Gervacio would be Season 71’s Rookie of the Year. The award, however, went to La Salle’s Melissa Gohing.
“I was ok with not being the rookie of the year,” Gervacio admitted. “I just thought that volleyball is a team sport, and that everyone contributed to our fifth place finish last year.”
It was a mature perspective from a young player such as Angeline. Even Bea Pascual, one of Gervacio’s closest teammates, is impressed by her skills and attitude.
“She is so humble, she does not know how strong she is as a player,” said Bea.
In Season 72, Gervacio picked up from where she left off in the previous year. Once again, she emerged as her team’s best scorer as she tallied 224 points at the end of the eliminations. She is also the league’s fifth best attacker with a 36.25% success rate.
“I am happy that I am able to deliver for the team,” Gervacio said, “but at the same time, I also feel the pressure.”
Sweet tooth
To relieve herself of the pressure, Gervacio said she hangs out with her friends or takes time off with her family.
“I love to travel whenever I have the chance to,” Gervacio, a second year Political Science student, said. “Last year, my family and I went to Bohol.”
Just like any 18-year-old, Gervacio said she is into movies and music. She learned how to play the classic guitar when she was still in high school. When it comes to fashion, she said her style is “laid back”. People, however, will be surprised to find out that she is a big eater.
“There was one time when we did not have training, and I got the chance to be with my friends. We went to UP to have a food trip,” Gervacio narrated.
Gervacio’s athletic figure hides that she lets herself go at the sight of desserts, particularly chocolates.
“I have a sweet tooth,” Gervacio revealed half-bashfully. “Whenever my family goes to a buffet, I cannot wait to eat the desserts.”
Smarter player
Perhaps not even Gervacio’s favorite desserts can topple her and the Lady Eagles’ achievement this season. For the second time since Ateneo entered the UAAP, the Katipunan-based squad managed to make it to the Final Four. Gervacio and her team’s aspirations, however, did not just stop at that.
While everyone is already aware of Gervacio’s power, she realized that she had to vary her shots to make things more difficult for their opponents.
“I want to learn how to become a leader and a smarter player,” Gervacio said.
Even the Lady Eagles’ mentor Roger Gorayeb, said he wanted his prized find to learn new tricks amid the tremendous growth she has already displayed.
“She is developing fast, but there is still room for improvement,” Gorayeb said. “She still needs to work on her decision making and tap on her inner strength.”
Gervacio did just when the Lady Eagles stunned the Lady Falcons last February 13, to get the third seeding entering the semifinals. Scoring 21 points in that game, Gervacio not only relied on her powerful spikes but also on soft tips.
“Even I was surprised that I was able to do it (hit the ball softly),” Gervacio recounted. “And the result was fulfilling.”
One week later, the Lady Eagles failed to sustain their momentum in the Final Four as they absorbed a three-set mangling from the University of Santo Tomas Tigresses, who advanced to the finals.
Her teammates, especially the graduating ones, may have been emotional after the loss, but Gervacio said everyone was still happy to cap the season at third place, the school’s best finish in the UAAP thus far.
With their core still intact, the Lady Eagles seem to be in a steady rise to challenge the usual volleyball powerhouses for supremacy. And Gervacio summarized just what people can expect from her and Ateneo in Season 73.
“The team and I are going to play smarter, tougher, and with more heart,” Gervacio said.
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