Adamson’s blossoming power hitter Mylene Paat is known for being one of the quieter characters on the court, which is why many were surprised when the University of Baguio standout was suddenly staring down her blockers after successful hits against the UP Lady Maroons. Paat said that it is something she and her teammates do in practice to pump each other up.
“Nung mga time na iyun, naramdaman ko na kailangan namin lumaban kasi halos lahat ng crowd sa UP. Gusto ko rin iangat iyung team ko. Ginagawa kasi namin iyun [staredowns] sa training eh, kaya kung nilalabas namin iyun dito, parang nawawala iyung kaba namin,” Paat told Tiebreaker Times.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise since Paat is teammates with two of the most flamboyant personalities in the league: team captain Faye Guevara, and FEU transferee Erika Alkuino. Guevara and Alkuino’s on-court swagger and energy really do rub off on their teammates.
There’s no telling what a shot of confidence for Adamson’s budding star can do, as Paat and the Lady Falcons shoved a huge monkey off their backs by winning their first game in a big venue since first competing in one in the Season 75 Final Four match against Ateneo.
“Sobrang sarap talaga manalo sa big venue. Sabi nga namin [Lady Falcons] maraming challenges sa mga ganitong venue, kasi nga nakakalula iyung laki tapos mas malamig. Sana lang di matapos dito,” gushed Paat.
As for their next opponents, the DLSU Lady Spikers, Paat said there is a distinct advantage to having played with one of their key cogs but she also added that La Salle middle blocker Mary Joy Baron has improved so much since their time together at the University of Baguio.
“Ever since naman kasi blocking na talaga iyung panglaban nila [Lady Spikers]… Tiya-tiyagain na lang namin, kasi kami din naman panglaban na namin iyung depense namin dati pa… Makakatulong din siguro na kilala ko siya [Baron],maishe-share ko na sa teammates kung paano siya maglaro, pero nagbago na rin iyung laro since then, so we’ll see,” Paat explained.
Out of the three teams with a 5-6 record- the other two being UST and NU- the Lady Falcons have arguably the toughest road to a Final Four slot as they will have to face DLSU, a team they haven’t beaten even when they were still coached by Dulce Pante, NU, who they lost to in the first round, and FEU, a team that they defeated earlier in the season but who are still equipped to nab wins against anyone.
The Lady Falcons are due for a run, and when they play well offensively, they prove that they are a top-tier team. Getting Paat rolling should be the top priority for the Lady Falcons.
