2 weeks Ago
It all started with a dream — quite literally — for twin sisters Shahanna and Shekaina Lleses, the newest rising stars of powerhouse De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in NCAA Season 100 volleyball. The two revealed that, years ago, they shared the exact same dream on the same day where both of them were on the same court playing the same position. Today, the twins are turning that shared vision into a reality.
"One time, ang weird po, may napanaginipan po kami ni Kai na parehas kaming naglalaro ng volleyball. So sinabi namin sa isa’t-isa and tinry namin ‘yung volleyball. Mga grade 4 or grade 5 po kami no'n," Shahanna, who is older by five seconds, told GMA News Online.
[One time, it was weird, Kai and I both dreamed the same thing that we were playing volleyball. So we told each other we'd try volleyball. That was when we were grade 4 or 5.
] Shekaina added: "Hindi po talaga namin hilig ang volleyball tapos may lumapit lang po sa amin na coach kasi medyo matangkad po kami. Tapos na-adik na po kami." [We weren't really into volleyball but there was a coach that came up to us because we were kind of tall.
Then we just became addicted to it.] That dream sparked their interest in the sport. A year after, a grade school coach in their hometown in Montalban encouraged them to try the sport.
Their next stops then introduced them to some faces that would become very familiar for them. They played for Hope Christian High School, which is coached by Benilde consultant Jerry Yee. During the pandemic, the twins also went to Kings' Montessori School which was handled by current Lady Blazers head coach Onyok Getigan from Grade 10 to 12.
Fast forward to present, they are now strutting their stuff on one of the premier college leagues in the country with no less than the three-time defending champs, Benilde. "Nu’ng Grade 7 po kasi coach na namin si Coach Jerry sa Hope tapos nu’ng pandemic po nahirapan siya maghanap ng school para sa amin so dinala niya kami sa Kings Montessori, ‘yung kay Coach Onyok. Ngayon college, nakapasok na po kami sa Benilde," Shekaina shared.
[When we were Grade 7, Coach Jerry was our coach at Hope and during the pandemic, he had a tough time finding a school for us so he brought us to Kings Montessori, which was under Coach Onyok. Now in college, we were able to get into Benilde.] But with or without that dream, sports is already in their DNA.
Their mom was a former middle blocker for the University of the East women's volleyball team in the UAAP while their father had a brief basketball stint with the Jose Rizal University in the NCAA. "Sinuportahan po kami ng nanay namin and player din po kasi ‘yung tatay namin ng basketball sa JRU so parang nasa dugo na po namin," the 5-foot-8 Shekaina said. [We received support from our mother and our father also was a player in basketball for JRU so it's in our blood.
] —JMB, GMA Integrated News.
