Alyssa Valdez: Is she the most popular volleyball player in the country?

Just how popular is Ateneo Lady Eagles' universal player, Alyssa Valdez?

Many volleyball players—both in the professional and amateur leagues—have already said in interviews and reports that they believe that Alyssa is the driving force behind the Ateneo squad. Some people, including sports analysts and commentators, even went so far as to say that she is THE future of volleyball in the Philippines.

Well, I'd be hard-pressed to answer that question. I haven't done any form of survey or poll that could measure Alyssa Valdez's popularity. What I can safely say is that this girl can draw in the crowd without even trying.

At last Sunday's Shakey's V-league games, for instance, Alyssa Valdez attracted a huge throng of screaming, giggling fans at the gates of the San Juan Arena. As you can see in the video, Alyssa had to be escorted by burly bouncers just so she could get inside a red car, wherein, I later learned, her SMART teammate and former DLSU libero Melissa Gohing was waiting for her.

And Alyssa didn't even play in any of the games that day! She just sat on the bench with Coach Roger Gorayeb (the former coach for Ateneo Lady Eagles) and worked as "water girl" for team SMART.

Just wait until this phenom suits up for SMART when the Quarterfinal round rolls in.

For me, the team to beat is still the Cagayan Valley Lady Rising Suns. I can hardly wait to see Alyssa Valdez and Dindin Santiago in action, testing their mettle against UST veterans Aiza Maizo and Angge Tabaquero of Team Cagayan!