By: Ohmer Bautista
Despite being in a rebuilding phase, the upstart Adamson University Lady Falcons showed that they’re still a team to look out for after sweeping the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Lady Altas, 25-19, 25-18, 25-16, in the Premier Volleyball League Season 2 Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Lady Falcons got a jump on things in the early goings of the match, planting a 21-14 gap in the opening salvo, then belting a 24-18 advantage in the second set to take a two sets to none buffer.
The Lady Altas however showed that they won’t back down without a fight, uncorking a 10-6 headstart in the decisive third set. But the Falcons immediately swatted every hope of an Altas’ comeback behind the collaborative efforts of their young guns, who unloaded a blistering 19-6 blast, reclaiming the lead and pulling away for good.
Still, in spite of an impressive sweep, Lady Falcons head coach Air Padda cited that her young team has yet to reach her expectations.
“They didn’t play up to my expectations,” the third-year Falcon coach said. “Sobrang messy. You could definitely tell it was our first game. Everything was sloppy. Our defense was all over the place.”
But she remains positive, even lauding the team for keeping their energy at the maximum.
“I’m hoping next game, this game got their jitters out and play with more discipline,” she added. “Though I think they did a good job of keeping their energy high.”
The Lady Falcons, who lost the services of Jema Galanza, Mylene Paat and Fhem Emnas, relied on veteran Eli Soyud and Chiara Permentilla who finished with 17 and 13 markers respectively. Bernadette Flora added 12 points.
Maria Tripoli, on the other hand, was the lone bright spot for Altas with her 12 point outing.
Lady Falcons (1-0) will look to bag win number two against San Beda Lady Red Spikers on Wednesday, July 25, at the same venue. Lady Altas (0-1), meanwhile, will seek to get back on track against the UP Lady Maroons on Saturday, July 28, also at the same venue.
The Scores:
AdU (3) – Soyud 17, Permentilla 13, Flora 12, Perez 8, Macaslang 3, Igao 2, Uy 0, Ponce (L).
UPHSD (0) – Tripoli 12, Imbo 5, Rosal 5, Umandal 5, Gaviola 5, Gual 2, Castillo 1, Llorente 1, Persa 0, Versoza 0, Suico 0, Aldea 0, Sangalang (L), Dayao (L).
