MANILA, Philippines — Former Ateneo teammates Denden Lazaro and Alyssa Valdez have been through a lot together during their days with the Lady Eagles.
Sharing the leadership roles in their team, Lazaro and Valdez were instrumental to the Katipunan-based squad's back-to-back UAAP volleyball championships in 2014 and 2015.
Related Stories
But now, both in the pros, Lazaro and Valdez find themselves on opposite sides of the court for the first time.
Moving on from rival league Philippine Superliga, Lazaro recently signed with Premier Volleyball League (PVL) squad Choco Mucho — a team that would face Valdez' champion squad Creamline Cool Smashers.
"Exciting. Have I gone against you in the pro league? I haven't no?" Lazaro quipped to Valdez during Tuesday's episode of Tiebreaker Vods' The Crossover Podcast.
"This will be the first time na we'll go against each other in the pro ranks," she said.
Valdez expressed mixed emotions at the prospect of facing the libero, revealing she may find it more challenging to score with Lazaro manning another squad's defense.
"As much as super excited na ako... siyempre, kinakabahan [din] kasi I know Den, I know her capabilities and her abilities. Hindi lang siya basta basta libero," Valdez said.
"She would really fight for her teammates," she added.
The two-time UAAP champions admitted looking forward to the challenge of facing each other, and the competitiveness that comes with it.
"Alam mo naman, hindi tayo papatalo sa isa't isa," Lazaro said.
"Competitive din pala kaming dalawa," Valdez added.
Lazaro and Valdez will likely clash in the PVL's fourth season, which will hopefully open before the end of the year.
While the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may delay it, a Lazaro-Valdez clash will surely be an entertaining matchup to catch.