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Alyssa Valdez: Belle of the ball
On top of being a three-time conference “Most Valuable Player” at the Philippine Volleyball League, Alyssa Valdez — known to many as “The Phenom” — continues to captivate the public, not just with her athletic prowess, but also with her compassion, humility and love for the sport she has undeniably popularized in the country.
By Joyce Reyes Aguila
Photography by Mark Chester Ang
All Alyssa Caymo Valdez had expressed hoped for when PeopleAsia first sat down with her nine years ago was to be able to play volleyball for “three to five more years.” After that, the plan was to find work so she “wouldn’t be left behind” by her peers.
Close to a decade later, Alyssa remains one of the country’s top professional volleyball athletes — commanding respect on the court with the trademark athleticism and humility that has captured the imagination of a continuously growing fanbase.
When Alyssa arrived for her 2023 “Women of Style and Substance” photo shoot and interview, she and the Creamline Cool Smashers team she captains were in the thick of the hunt for the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference title. The team eventually settled for silver, after battling it out with Japan’s Kurashiki Ablaze team. The “Phenom” — a moniker Alyssa was bestowed as the star of her Ateneo de Manila University team — sat out the last two finals games, explaining to the press that she was still recovering from a knee injury that had sidelined her for eight months.
Back in 2014, Alyssa, then 21, was completely oblivious of her celebrity and the impact she was making on the sport in the Philippines. She had just led Ateneo to its very first volleyball championship in the 76th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). Ateneo had vied for the title several times — always falling short to archnemesis De La Salle University.
Prior to that, the two schools’ longtime rivalry was limited to men’s collegiate basketball, which resulted in sold-out arenas and delivered good TV ratings. But Alyssa and her contemporaries gave a show like no other — elevating interest in the sport beyond compare — and have since sustained it through a flourishing professional league.
“We’re very lucky to be part of this generation and have these kinds of opportunities,” she now tells PeopleAsia. “I am very, very happy that our time and efforts did not go to waste after investing so much in it during high school and college. We’re grabbing every opportunity we get.”
Alyssa has always been a go-getter. The Batangueña, who learned volleyball by playing with her brothers during her elementary year, caught the attention of volleyball scouts when she played in the Southern Tagalog Athletic Association (STCAA) regional sports competition. She moved from her hometown to Manila to join the high school varsity volleyball team of the University of Santo Tomas. The team won three UAAP titles, with Alyssa being named MVP in the 70th, 71st and 72nd seasons.
College was the next big decision she had to make. She received numerous offers and decided to join Ateneo, revealing to us in 2014 that it was her dream school. It was a choice that changed the story arc of her life — not to mention Philippine volleyball’s.
Gown by Albert Andrada
The 5’8” standout led Ateneo to two UAAP championships and closed a remarkable collegiate career with four UAAP Best Scorer titles, three Best Server awards, three Season MVP trophies and one Finals MVP.
Her next move, after competing with several teams in the Shakey’s V-League, was joining Thailand’s 3BB Nakornnont in 2016. “I did that right after college,” she recalls. “It was something really scary before. Now, I am super grateful I made that choice. Getting out of your comfort zone is something rewarding sa sarili mo (to yourself) and sa craft mo (to your craft). I think it’s our investment as athletes.
“When you go out, you actually also learn so much. You can assess and gauge where your game is mentally and physically. I’m really glad I took the chance because, more than the skills, I think mas tumibay ’yung loob ko(it made me emotionally tougher) in everything. Actually, even with challenges, kahit papaano (in one way or another), I am able to handle these because of all those choices that I made when I was younger.” Alyssa returned to the Premier Volleyball League in 2017 with the Creamline Cool Smashers before heading to Taiwan in the latter part of the year to play for the local club Attack Line for three months.
Going Pro
Alyssa believes that everything eventually falls into place, including how a professional volleyball league was established in the country. “It does not feel like we’re doing a job at all since we really love what we do,” she shares. “It’s our responsibility to be able to stay in shape even after college since this is our profession.
“I’m very glad with how the level of local competition has turned out. It has been very high in the past few years — whether at the collegiate level or the pros.” she continues. “A lot of kids really want to play right now. We want to take advantage of that. One thing I really pray and hope for is that we have support for various sectors. We want to not just break barriers locally but also internationally. We’re looking forward to that since there are a lot of young talents right now. We want to also have a real program that would really help these kids not just to love volleyball but really learn the sport. That’s what we want, so the growth of the sport will be sustainable here.”
Alyssa also extended her influence in the sport to the national men’s beach volleyball semi-professional league when she became president of Spikers’ Turf.
Now 30, Alyssa says the younger players are good to have around. “You see them enjoy the game,” she observes. “You’re reminded that you have to really just enjoy the game. I think we had leeway to make mistakes, to actually test the waters. But now that (the sport) is growing already and a lot of new players are coming in, kami na ’yung mga tumatanda (we’re becoming the seniors). It’s nice to actually be reminded also kung ano dapat ’yung ma-feel namin (of how we should feel). Syempre (Of course), when you’re in your craft for almost a decade, you feel like looking for more to learn.”
Being a pro has been financially rewarding for Alyssa and company — a change they “did not really expect.” She maintains, “It’s something new. We had to adjust. We have to be responsible and accountable also for the things that we do because it’s our job at the end of the day.” Aside from her on-court earnings, Alyssa has endorsed a slew of brands, including Nike, Pepsi and Gatorade.
Balancing her profession and what she calls “the outside world” has been the norm since college.
“Definitely, I think you’ve got to invest in something; you have to sacrifice some things. Ever since college, that’s one thing I think we signed up for, most especially when we were student athletes.”
Alyssa remembers her time in Ateneo as being divided only between schoolwork and volleyball.
“As pros, we are able to prioritize the things that are very important to us and actually learn to manage our time. Now, we have to sacrifice our time with our family. But it’s more accepted now since this is our job. You have to sacrifice things if you want to be successful also.
“One thing I’ve learned from other athletes, like Ate Hidilyn Diaz (the first and so far only Filipino Olympic gold medalist), is that we still have to find a balance in everything. So, once in a while, you find time to be with family, to go out. We have time, like a week or two, to recharge. !at’s our balance,” she maintains.
Silver sequined suit and trousers by Albert Andrada
In three to five years
Alyssa admits that, for now, she cannot fully detach herself from the sport. She spends part of her time conducting volleyball camps as opportunities for kids to learn volleyball. In three to five years, she also wants to build a volleyball school to help the next generation of players reach “their dreams like me.”
She asserts, “I had no plan of taking this path. Now that everyone can actually access it, I want as many kids as possible to become successful volleyball players.”
The volleyball star also remains grateful to fans who have supported her since college. “They are really one of our sources of inspiration and motivators to stay in shape,” she said, while maintaining she still does not fully understand why so many have remained glued to the sport and her career.
“I think volleyball wouldn’t be here also if not for them,” says Alyssa. “It’s a collective effort from the players, the management, to the fans. They are very much interested in learning the game and actually supporting each and every player and team. I am very, very grateful for their support.
“All the time, until now, you question why,” she continues. “Why would people consider me as someone that they could look up to? It’s weird because we all put the same effort. We all put the same intensity and discipline in our craft. As much as they respect me, I respect them as well. I think it’s because also of the people around me. I wouldn’t be able to be this grateful if not for these people who never let me feel that I am different.”
As usual, she seems oblivious of the breadth of her influence and celebrity.
“It’s a small bubble. When you go out, we’re all human beings. We’re just lucky that we are appreciated in our small community. But we don’t want to take advantage of that. We need to use it to help other people. It’s actually thinking of paying it forward. You treasure it, but you have to make sure that more than being on cloud nine, it’s thinking of what’s more. Why is it given to you? What is the purpose of this? We’re given this kind of responsibility to actually have a purpose in others’ lives.”
