During the De La Salle Lady Spiker’s second round encounter against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, the Taft-based squad easily built a 2-0 lead but they still needed five sets to swipe them off.
Yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena, it was exactly the same scenario but this time, La Salle was on the other end of the stick as FEU climbed back from a 0-2 deficit, 15-25, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21, 16-14 to force a do-or-die grudge match.
And with this loss placing the team at the brink of elimination, graduating Lady Spiker Cyd Demecillo sets her sights in getting another crack at FEU.
“Siyempre masakit kasi ilang games na lang tapos natalo pa and medyo [blamed] ko ang sarili ko. Pero, part naman sa siguro sa game na matalo [at times],” Demecillo told reporters moments after emerging from the team’s dugout. “Bilog talaga ang bola pero babawi talaga [kami] siyempre, it’s my last playing year di ba?”
Demecillo really gave it her all this game. During the deciding fifth set, she scored a lot of crucial attacks to put her team up. However, bad luck eventually caught up with her after she committed a crucial attack error in the latter parts of the set. One of her attacks went straight to the net and her final attack that went wide (which she claimed to be a checked ball) eventually gave FEU the 16-14 fifth set win.
“Siguro nagulat lang ako na ang bilis ng pangyayari, tapos [tingin] ko talaga check ball [ang last play],” Demecillo added about the game’s last play. “Kung may challenge [system] lang siguro, makikita siguro iyon.”
Demecillo also indicated that her team got complacent which gave FEU a glimmer of hope. They could have easily owned the third set but some costly errors and missed chances on 50-50 balls became the team’s undoing.
Now, with their backs against the wall come their next meeting, Demecillo has only one thing in mind: win at all costs.
“[Ano] ang nagkulang? Siguro [it’s the] complacency [of the team], iyon lang siguro,” Demecillo closed. “Babawi pa rin [ako], siyempre. Wala na, it’s now or never. Do or die. Masakit [ang pagkatalo] pero babawi kami.”
The do-or-die game between the Lady Spikers and the Lady Tamaraws will be this coming Wednesday, 4:00 pm, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
