Bodunde Damilola Philips, a student at Unilorin and assistant coach of the volleyball team, expressed his team’s optimism despite their loss to the Lekki Volleyball team at the Legacy Volleyball Championship.
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He highlighted their motivation, emphasizing that participating in this challenging championship provides a platform for them to challenge themselves and learn from experienced players.
Even as undergraduates, they aim to push their limits, be challenged, and compete against teams they consider unbeatable. Playing against Lekki was a strong motivator for the team, strengthening their resolve to perform better.
Speaking in an interview with Sports247, Damilola shares their motivation “We have actually been attending, but this is the first time that Unilorin will be participating.
We know it is a challenging championship with professional and national players in participation so it is good for us to challenge ourselves not just locally but when we come here to see people that are far better than us in the spirit of breaking our limits.
We want to be challenged as we are challenging them too.
Despite the fact that we are undergraduates, we are still trying our best to beat the teams that think they are unbeatable.
That is a source of motivation for all of us to be here. Playing against Lekki is enough to ginger the team and individually, it would strengthen our spirits to do better.”
Damilola also serves as the team’s captain but couldn’t play due to injuries, so he fully embraced the coaching role.
He shared his positive impressions of the Legacy Volleyball Championship, describing it as a valuable learning experience.
The tournament allowed them to interact with players who have international experience, offering opportunities to absorb new knowledge.
Losing a match, he noted, provides crucial insights into their weaknesses and motivates them to improve.
It encourages strategic thinking and the implementation of fresh approaches in subsequent games.
Damilola stressed the equality of all teams in competitions like this, emphasizing that every team has an equal shot at success. They faced a team with professional and experienced players but held their own competitively, with a close margin.
He pointed out that despite the disparity in experience, it was a spirited contest that earned recognition. According to him, there is no inherent superiority in competitions, as every team starts on a level playing field.
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“There is no superiority in competitions. Everyone is equal before that ball. We played against a team that had more professionals and experienced players but it was very competitive.” Damilola says.
The Unilorin Volleyball team, despite being one of the youngest in the competition, showcased their talent and determination.
Their participation in the championship provided them with valuable lessons that will contribute to their improvement in future games and, ultimately, help them reach championship status.
