Vanie Gandler. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—As she entered a new chapter in her volleyball career, Vanie Gandler revealed that her rookie year at UAAP was her most unforgettable experience because of the criticism that made her the person she is today. now.
Gandler, who is joining the Cignal HD Spikers in the Premier Volleyball League, revealed on Carmela Tunay’s show on Kumu that she’s had a tough freshman year, while winning the Season 81 championship with the Kat Tolentino quartet , Bea De Leon, Maddie Madayag and Deanna Wong.
“Besides winning the championship, as a team, it was a great year but then for me personally it was a really tough year,” the outside graduate told Tunay. “It was a really bad year for me. If my fans here actually watched volleyball, they would know that I was the most criticized player that season.”
Gandler, a highly regarded player from La Salle-Zobel, impressed in pre-season as she and the Blue Eagles reached the 2018 PVL Open Conference Finals and won a silver medal after losing. Creamline is led by Alyssa Valdez.
But she received a social media backlash after being limited to just one point in her UAAP debut when Ateneo was wiped out by La Salle, 14-25, 17-25, 25-16, 19-25 , in front of 17,000 fans at the Mall of Asia Arena on February 17, 2019.
“The backlash was so big that I didn’t know it, and coming to college volleyball, I didn’t expect pressure from everything. I didn’t expect the spiritual side of it. I thought, you know, you just have to play but then when I walked into the field for the first game, La Salle-Ateneo, the stadium was full and I said to myself oh no, then I played the match her worst,” she said. “Since then I have been very disappointed. I understand why because I played badly.”
Gandler won her first championship that same year but it took time for her to shake off the criticism she received and not even be able to see the clip of her first match.
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has wiped out her supposed second year of 2020, is seen as a blessing in disguise, giving her time to reflect and time to “stand up”.
“I admit for a long time, I didn’t know how to get up from there, I was really lost,” Gandler said. “That year, I remember crying all the time. I was so lost, until the pandemic, I was at home so I had time to decide what I really wanted for my volleyball career. Do I want to be better? So yeah, I’ve decided it’s time to start working on myself.
“I decided that I wanted to move forward and I wanted to be better, that was the first thing I did. I will watch this game. I will accept how badly I play and there, I can accept criticism. I was like ok this will help me. My thoughts and then I started working not only during the pandemic, not just physically and mentally,” she added.
When UAAP returned last year, Gandler emerged as one of Ateneo’s main attacking options as she and the Blue Eagles took a 0-3 lead and led her team to the bronze finish, eliminating Adamson and third seed UST in the playoffs for No. .4 and the corresponding semi-final scale.
In her final season, Faith Nisperos co-captain Gandler scored a total of 154 points based on 134 spikes, 12 aces, and 8 blocks just for Ateneo to miss the Finals for the first time. first since 2009 after it finished with a 4-10 record.
Gandler is currently moving on to the next chapter of her career and she will end her college time with Ateneo without any regrets, grateful for her experience even in Part Her most unforgettable 81.
“For me, that year was unforgettable because it helped me become the person I am today. It helped build me up,” she said.
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