Sailing Alone

Headline

World's Best Middle Blocker, Mika Reyes, finally coming home.

Inquirer.net

Mika Reyes, recently crowned as Best Middle Blocker in FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship 2018, is set to return to the Philippines with the rest of Team U.S.A. women's volleyball team. After claiming the trophy in the competition against twenty three other countries, Team USA will be coming to the Philippines to celebrate their win.

Mika Reyes started her rise to stardom as one of the most well-known volleyball players in the Philippines during her rookie year in UAAP Women's Volleyball competition back in 2011. Despite being a rookie, Mika Reyes already helped her team, the De La Salle University Lady Spikers, earn the championship that year and the following year. Although they did not win the championship for the next two years - the crown going to their rivals, Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles - Reyes was a consistent presence and a formidable force in the court up to their finals appearances. She ended her UAAP career by helping take the crown back to the taft-based university.

With three championships under her belt and a definite reunion with former teammates from DLSU after joining F2 Logistics Cargo Movers, Reyes was expected to do great plays during the Philippine Super Liga in 2016. It was an unexpected turn of events when she did not finish the season and left the country - a surprise not only to supporters but to her former teammates as well. At the time, the only available information was that she was given an opportunity to play in the United States and to pursue continuing studies. It was later revealed that Reyes was also a dual citizen, her U.S. citizenship acquired by birth - she was born in San Francisco, California during a family vacation.

She had become inactive in all of her social media accounts and neither her family, friends, or teammates, were willing to release any information regarding her endeavours. It was only through the social media accounts of Cameron Sutter, also crowned Best Setter in the World Championship, that information about Mika Reyes became available. Reyes and Sutter were both part of NorCal Wildfire and became the best of friends. Through Sutter's accounts, bits of information regarding Reyes' journey from being a bench player to the starting six of Wildfire, to becoming a part of the Dream Team - official Premier Volleyball League team of Northern California Region, and finally to becoming a part of the national women's volleyball team of the United States of America, became available.

Reyes was practically invisible during her first year in U.S.A. as she was usually on the bench. However, when she had earned her right to play inside the court, the effect she had when she was here in the Philippines was also the same to the people watching her there. People became engrossed by watching her composure and confidence, her "swag" as some people call it. Her fame, of course, was elevated with the help of Filipino volleyball supporters, who flocked to Reyes' team's matches just to see her. The amount of supporters she had only got larger and larger as she became better and better inside the court.

Being well-known in social media because of her large fanbase, a lot of eyes were on her whenever she played. With her debut in the world court during the World Championship, people of different nationality and even athletes from other countries were enamoured not only by her looks but her personality and skills inside the court. Reyes has been dubbed "Darling of the Crowd" internationally.

While there are no information available yet about when she will be returning and for how long, different media companies are already lining up to have an interview with her. Reyes had given very few post-game interviews or any media appearances over the last two years as these were usually done by the coaching staff or the team captain.

The volleyball community is already abuzz of a possible friendly game between Team USA and Team Philippines. She may also possibly receive an award from the office of the President for being a great pride to the country and to all Filipinos. There is also a great anticipation of Reyes' reunion with her friends and former teammates, Ara Galang, Kim Fajardo, and Aby Marano among others, as interactions between them were not apparent in social media since Reyes left the country. Reyes' accounts remain to be inactive until this day.

The only thing for certain at the moment is that when Mika Reyes returns, she will be welcomed warmly with open arms.

Author's Note: Nagresearch ako for this ah! :) Let me know if I should continue this or not. Will not update unless may magsabi sakin na I should. Thank you for reading!

Credits to @uaapconfessions (in twitter) for the edited photos I'm gonna use for this fic. :)