MANILA, Philippines – When Rachel Anne Daquis' famed jersey number 3 was retired by Far Eastern University (FEU) on Tuesday at their gym in Santa Cruz, Manila, school officials and even coaches mentioned one aspect about her repeatedly.

The truth is that Daquis, who hails from Taytay, Rizal, was not a highly recruited player out of high school but a walk-on who secured a tryout with the Lady Tamaraws, thanks primarily to her height.

"Nakita namin na malaki siya, kaya sabi namin 'Pwede 'to,'" recalled coach Kid Santos, FEU's legendary volleyball mentor.

The old sports adage "You can't teach height" holds true in volleyball, and at 5-foot-10, Daquis clearly had a gift. Santos saw natural talent in her as well, but the problem was how to mold her into a volleyball player.

"Lagi siyang umiiyak kapag tinuturuan ko siya," Santos revealed. "Lahat talaga, gusto kong ituro sa kanya. Iyakin talaga 'yan. Kahit dati sa training, umiiyak 'yan."

• READ: FEU retires Rachel Anne Daquis' jersey number 3

Daquis recalls this experience clearly.

"Way back 2004, isa lang akong batang nangangarap na isang araw makakalaro sa isang maganda university. At noong araw na 'yun hindi ako binigo ng FEU. Tinanggap nila ako - hindi ako marunong mag-volleyball," she said.

Skills that are now second nature to her – serving, spiking, and digging – only served as sources of frustration to the young Daquis, who admitted that she would cry in a corner during training as she watched her more experienced teammates.

Those tears, however, served as the fuel to the fire for Daquis, who was determined to do everything she can to achieve her goal. At the time, the goal was simple: "Gusto ko darating 'yung araw na mapapanood ako ng pamilya ko at magiging proud sila sa akin."

To achieve this goal, Daquis put extra effort in training, as she had to catch up to her more skilled teammates.

"Hindi ako nagmadali, nag-train ako nang mabuti. Every day, gigising ako nang madaling araw, mage-LRT kami ng daddy ko. Magte-training ako ng umaga pati hapon kasi may gusto ako ma-achieve," she said.

"Nakita ko talaga ang dedikasyon niya," Santos said of his player.

Individual awards, team success

The hard work paid off in Season 68, when Daquis won Best Server honors in just her sophomore season. At the time, however, she was skeptical of the award.

"Sabi ko sa coach ko, 'Coach, baka kaya ako may award kasi cute ako. Baka na-cute-an lang sa akin kaya ako nagka-award'," she revealed. "Hindi ako natuwa na nagka-award ako."

It was not until she earned the Best Server trophy for a second time the next season that Daquis truly began to believe in her own talent.

However, there have been plenty of FEU women's volleyball players who have collected individual accolades. To truly make a mark in the program, a player needs to be a part of a championship team – and this was something that Daquis knew very well.

"Pero hindi ako nag-stop doon sa ganoong award. Gusto ko ng award para sa buong team," she said.

The Lady Tamaraws were a perennial Final Four contender during Daquis' stay, especially as they also had other strong players like Josephine Cafranca, Maica Morada, and setter Wendyanne Semana. In Season 70, it all came together for FEU, as they upended Adamson University in the Finals in a series that went three games.

"Sobrang swerte ko din na sa career ko, laging nasa Finals, sa Final Four. 'Yun 'yung napangalagaan namin sa FEU," Daquis said.

Having established herself as one of the best players in the UAAP and the face of the FEU program, Daquis went on to do even bigger things. She joined the Army club team and was one of the pillars of the Shakey's V-League back when it was still establishing itself in the volleyball scene. Most recently, she played for Army in the Philippine Superliga, and was part of the PSL team that represented the country in the FIVB Women's Club World Championships last year.

All the while, her profile and her fan base grew.

"Rachel is the first real superstar of women's volleyball in the Philippines," declared FEU owner Anton Montinola on Tuesday, and few would argue with him.

Volleyball has caught up to Daquis' popularity. The sport now vies with basketball for attention of fans, and several younger players – from Abigail Maraño to Alyssa Valdez to Mika Reyes – have also come to have their own fan bases.

There is one place, however, where Daquis will continue to stand above them.

In FEU, where Daquis first showed up as a talented but raw prospect, she remains the "Queen Tamaraw" – the standard that younger Lady Tams now work hard to match. Even up to now, Daquis remains the face of FEU's women's volleyball program – something that athletic director Mark Molina repeatedly stressed on Tuesday.

"Up to this day, when people talk about FEU volleyball, they talk about Rachel Anne Daquis," he said.

Inspiration

Years after she left FEU, Daquis remains as committed to the school as ever. On Tuesday, she directly addressed her fellow Tamaraws, saying: "Sana maging inspiration ako sa inyong lahat, hindi lang sa mga volleyball players, pati sa mga co-athletes ko na, never give up."

"Kapag napanghihinaan na kayo ng loob, lagi niyong isipin kung saan kayo nanggaling. Lagi kayo dapat may pinaghuhugutan kasi may gusto kayo ma-achieve," she added.

Directly addressing the current crop of Lady Tamaraws, Daquis said: "Alam kong kaya natin ulit mag-champion."

FEU has not won a women's volleyball title since Daquis and Semana led them to the UAAP Season 70 crown, and other schools like De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University have dominated the competition in the past five seasons.

In Season 79, however, the FEU squad led by Remy Palma and Bernadeth Pons have a very real chance to bring the Lady Tamaraws back on top – and Daquis will be there to cheer for them in every step of the way.

"Nandito lang ako sa likod ninyo, sumusuporta. Para sa atin, magpatuloy lang tayo mangarap at magtiyaga para makamit 'yung gusto natin," the Queen Tamaraw said.

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