Eunoia
By Leiniel A. Santos, Junior Sports Writer

As the new season of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) dawns, the name Rachel Anne Daquis is still yet to be found. This marked the “Queen Tamaraw’s” third missed conference and a year of her absence from the Philippine volleyball scene. While fans are longing for her comeback, the intriguing presence of her retirement concerns many of her supporters, including me.

After leading her first-ever championship with the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 70, people have already expected that they will see Daquis play year after year even after she graduates and will make a huge mark in the Philippine volleyball scene.

This is where my admiration for her started; I have followed her since her play in the Shakey’s V-League, the Philippine Super Liga (PSL), and now in the PVL. She lived up to and even surpassed people’s expectations of her as she won various Best Outside Spiker awards, Most Valuable Player titles, and podium finishes.

The Tamaraw legend also represented the country multiple times, notably as one of the PSL’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ and as leader of the PSL-F2 Logistics Manila team, which competed in the 2016 FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) Women’s Club World Championship hosted locally.

It may sound cliché, but Daquis was certainly the face of Philippine volleyball for many years. She was one of the primary reasons why volleyball in our country received the spotlight it deserved.

Sadly, the last PVL 2023 Invitational Conference marked the most recent time Daquis has played for the Cignal HD Spikers, where they won the bronze medal against the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers who recently concluded its campaign.

I am not saying that what happened to the F2 Logistics team could also be the same with FEU’s Queen Tamaraw, but it could potentially be. 

The rumors about the end of her playing career began circulating across different social media platforms months after her most recent game, when she accepted an invitation to join a coaching camp in the USA last October 2023.

This was soon followed by her venture to open the first Pinoy bakery in Barcelona, Spain earlier this year which further escalated the manifestation of her retirement even more.

As a long-time Daquis fan, these situations scare me. With her hiatus from the volleyball scene, joining a coaching camp in the USA, and opening a bakery business in Spain, I find myself unable to resist the thought of never watching her again in the taraflex.

But then again, the call of many fans for her return to win at least one more championship in her bag brings me hope that it is still not the time for the Queen Tamaraw to forgo playing her beloved sport. 

With Daquis’ remarkable impact in the Philippine volleyball scene for more or less 19 years of playing, her passion for sports was indeed a compelling reason for her to persistently play, and I am crossing my fingers that she is still up for the challenge and thrill of sports.

Nevertheless, the Queen Tamaraw’s accomplishments and contributions are far more than enough, as she has already achieved significant milestones throughout her career. Her remote control serve, unique bunny hop approach, and high-spirited point celebrations will be remembered forever in the hearts of volleyball fans.

This may or may not be the beginning of a new era, but Daquis’ skills and leadership have already established a legacy of excellence. The Philippine volleyball scene would not reach its level of competition and fame right now without her. No matter what happens on or perhaps off the court, she is and will always be celebrated as one of the greatest athletes FEU and our country have ever produced. And yes, I do miss her.

(Photo by Zedrich Xylak Madrid/FEU Advocate)