An assassin working in the dark. A thief tiptoeing in the night.
She works in silence no one would notice she does. She appears to be an innocent little lamb where in fact, she is a treacherous lion hiding among the bushes, quietly eyeing her prey.
She does her job excellently. She does it as an expert. She is a standout in her field – at the stake of her prey.
Everyone, yes, she is our very own Silent Assassin Jia Morado.
Jia is that girl you won’t even notice among the squad on the first look. She is that shy, silent-type of a girl who seems to be misplaced in the middle of loud and crazy girls. During a game, you wouldn’t easily stick your attention on her either. It is said that her position in the team limits her to be that visible.
But hey! Who said she was deprived from the attention she was supposed to be getting? My friends, she was never deprived from it. Beloveds, she just received three Best Setters awards, each from a different league and one from an international competition. Two of which also was on the same year, the other on the following year. Not really a big deal. Not at all.
Who would ever disregard such a precious rare gem as Jia?
How many heroic plays did Jia do for the success of Ateneo? Did you remember how she bravely graced the court in her rookie year as the first setter of the rebuilding team which undergone and survived horrifying games against the giants? Did you remember how she announced her presence when she was the stalwart rookie setter of that historic champion team?
Did you remember how she easily dropped that ball in the third set of the Game 2 of the Finals in Season 77 that rocked the Lady Archers’ world? Did you remember that last point coming from her as quiet as a mute that sent the Lady Eagles on the highest podium for the second straight time?
Have you remembered how ill she was during the SVL Season 13 yet she still entered the court as courageously as she could and even made it as POG? How she eagerly talked to her coaches to help her teammates who are struggling in the game and managed to lift them up and eventually win at the end?
During Ateneo games, did you see how composed her face is? Did you see how her face was zilch but a face of valor and readiness to face oppressors? Did you see how she calmed the fans down with her face that seemed placid and confident during tough moments?
And when she smiles, did you see the victory ahead?
In this new era for the Ateneo Volleyball, Jia serves as their anchor. She is a solid rock her teammates could hold onto. During a nerve-wracking game, she remained consistent. During a seemingly disregarded game against the bottom team, she was still as perilous as she is. When everyone was struggling with their floor defense, she was there to beautifully set a poor first ball. When everyone was having difficulty to attack, she manages to think for a snap second the best set they could work on to. When everyone was rattled on the other side of the net, she was quick enough to make them jump in frustrations with her witty drop balls and smart 1-2 plays.
You really could never ask for more from this awesome girl.
This Season 79, we can’t wait for the Jia Morado we’ve been admiring since her rookie days.
We can’t wait to see more of her heroic plays.
We can’t wait to see more of her jawdropping sets.
We can’t wait to see more of her shocking and mischievous drop balls.
We can’t wait to feel another series of thrills as she does her 1-2 play.
We can’t wait to be thrilled of her valiant saves once more.
We can’t wait to admire her sharp serves over and over again.
We can’t wait to see the tranquility etched on her face in the midst of an abstruse battle.
We can’t wait to see the exuding talent running through her veins in her fourth playing year.
Furthermore, we can’t wait to see the anxiety and frustration on the faces of the other side whenever she touches the ball for a play.
We can’t wait to witness another series of silent but menacing moments from Jia. The scare she gives her opponents whenever she’s silent but watchful.
A silent threat is on the way. We know she is ready as she approaches her battle ground.
But we have to wait. Till she will be launched from the bushes to the blinding lights of the
