De La Salle Lipa (DLSL) Green Stallions was hailed as overall champion after claiming two gold and two silver medals at the 2nd ASEAN+ Inter-University Networking Games 2025 held at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in Perak, Malaysia, last Aug. 21 to 24.
After competing with six other ASEAN+ countries, the team secured the championship titles for table tennis and women’s volleyball team, while they finished as first runner-ups for the badminton and men’s volleyball team.
In an interview with Lavoxa Online, Carl Jersey Perez, an open spiker from the men’s volleyball team, shared that their tournament preparations involved conceding academic commitments by adjusting their schedules for physical training.
“Nag-sacrifice din kami ng ilang schedule para makapag-training kami ng mas ayos [at] para maganda iyong ipakita namin sa ibang bansa,” Perez said.
Moreover, he stated that the narrow score gap between them and the Indonesian team during the elimination round proved that the tenacious steeds could stand their ground despite their opponent’s physical prowess and superior builds.
“Challenging talaga yung laban namin against Indonesia kasi […] mas malalaki samin tsaka mas [may] experience sila. Even though hindi man namin nakuha ‘yung panalo [ay] nakita naman [doon] na hindi lang naman malayo ‘yung agwat ng scores so napakita naman namin na kaya namin sumabay sa ibang team,” said Perez.
Furthermore, Perez mentioned their participation made them set aside national differences, with sports acting as a unifying factor among teams.
“In-organize siya para makipag-socialize ka sa […] different na mga tao. Ang magandang bagay lang doon ay [..] despite na may pagkakaiba kayo […] coming from different countries ay nagkakaisa kayo […] dahil sa sports,” Perez shared.
Following their international run, the Green Stallions are set to compete at the upcoming 26th Southern Luzon Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SLCUAA) season to kick off at DLSL on Sept. 13.
