National University men’s volleyball team longtime mentor Dante Alinsunurin dedicated his most challenging UAAP season campaign yet to his late brother, who passed away last week.
Alinsunurin steered the Bulldogs to the league’s first five-peat in the Final Four era after taking down Far Eastern University in Game 3 of their championship showdown in the UAAP Season 87 men’s volleyball finals on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
In their past four championship victories, the Bulldogs have never needed more than two games to close out the series, until the top-seeded Tamaraws became a worthy challenger for the crown.
“Unang-una, inaalay ko tong panalo na ‘to sa kapatid ko, namatay nu’ng isang linggo,” Alinsunurin said.
“Pangalawa, ang ganda talaga ng series and the other credit goes to FEU, talagang na-challenge nila kami kung hanggang saan [ang kaya namin]. To my players, mula day one, for pushing ‘yung sarili nila na makuha namin tong five-peat na to,” he continued.
After fighting through the loss of his brother Mike right around the playoffs, Alinsunurin honored him with a special achievement.
“Sobrang thankful talaga ako, hindi lang ‘to para sa sarili ko. Para sa kapatid ko ‘tong game na ‘to. Alam ko na mas matutuwa siya para sa akin pag nakita niyang champion kami,” Alinsunurin said.
“Special itong title kasi kahit may mga struggle kami hindi lang sa laro, kundi sa labas din ng court. Even mga players namin [suffering from] injuries talaga, and ako family matters. Sobrang thankful ako sa panalong to. As of now, ito ‘yung pinaka magandang achievement sa career and championship pagdating rito sa UAAP,” he added.
In front of a record-high crowd turnout of 14,517, the men’s team secured a double gold for the school’s volleyball program following an early title celebration for its women’s counterpart on Wednesday.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News