OVER the off-season more attention was paid to the Lady Falcons’ star-studded coaching staff than to their roster. Former UAAP champions Angeli Tabaquero and Michele Gumabao and local volleyball legend Cherry Macatangay were added as assistant coaches in the past few months.
The joke is that the coaching staff could probably churn out more wins than the current Adamson roster.
“We get that a lot,” said Airess Padda, the Adamson Lady Falcons new head coach, herself an accomplished collegiate player in United States.
“It just goes to show how a lot of people are underestimating us. I think that’s going to be a huge motivation for us this season. We’re definitely not a team to be taken lightly,” Padda continued.
Season 78 ended disastrously for the San Marcelino spikers. After disappointing losses in the second round, the Lady Falcons saw head coach Sherwin Meneses leave the program to the detest of almost all the players.
Replaced by Men’s Team mentor Domingo Custodio, the Lady Falcons only continued to struggle. They ended their season with an embarrassing loss to the UE Lady Warriors, who were on a 58-game losing skid.
The situation was so dire that team captain Mylene Paat elected to skip her final year of playing eligibility, leaving the Lady Falcons with a shell of a squad.
When she took over the program midway through 2016, Padda saw her opportunity to overhaul the program.
“We lacked discipline and I thought that the winning culture was lost. When I came in, I already heard the stories that the team were once perennial Final Four contenders. That was the mission right from the start – we were going to work hard and work together to get the team back on track.”
What followed was months of intense training. Padda tells stories of players unable to complete even the first half hour practice as they pass out or throw up from her intense drills. Now, as the season draws near, the Lady Falcons have gotten used to Padda’s trainings.
“There are a few who still say, ‘Coach, nahihilo ako. Upo muna ako.’ But when the time comes for six-on-six they miraculously recover,” Padda quips.
Among anything, Padda respects Adamson’s tradition – one built on gritty, dirty floor defense that sprouted from Lady Falcon matriarch Dulce Pante years ago when recruiting tall players was a tough task. Mommy Dulce pushed her teams to the limit and Padda is intent on doing the same.
“I actually got to meet Coach Mommy Dulce a while back. I’m very aware of the reputation her teams had before. It really isn’t about continuing it but more on bringing it back. The past few years, we haven’t been very good even on defense. With this team we have, I think we have pieces and it’ll be just about being consistent.”
A woman in her late twenties, Padda finds that she can still relate with the young women on her team while maintaining a strict relationship during practice.
“My players know that they can talk to me like they do with their friends – I encourage that. But they also know that when it comes to the game, we have to be all about business.”
Having lost four seniors from last season’s lineup, the Lady Falcons have a lot riding on the continued development of team captain Jema Galanza. The team’s leading scorer last season, the 5’7” open hitter is bracing herself for a challenging season.
“Malaki ‘yung pagbabago since pumasok si coach Air – sa disiplina mo talaga siguro makikita ‘yung pinakamalaking pagbabago sa amin,” she remarked.
“Marami ngang nagsasabi sa amin na mas humina ‘yung team kumpara last year. ‘Yun siguro ‘yung motivation namin. Parang ganoon naman talaga madalas sa Adamson, mamaliitin ka talaga.”
In the projected starting six, only two players played significant minutes last year – Galanza and middle hitter Joy Dacoron. Losing Paat and Erika Alkuino, the Lady Falcons also lost a lot of their length.
“Malaki ‘yung tiwala ko sa mga bata kong teammate. Siguro, kumpara last year, mas palaban talaga kami. Hindi ko nakikitang bigla na lang susuko ‘yung mga teammates ko ngayon sa gitna ng game,” Galanza remarked.
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During each practice, Padda asks her players to share motivational quotes. Her favorite was “Pressure is a privilege.” With a corporate backer in Akari and the ever watchful eye of the Adamson brass, the Lady Falcons know they can’t afford another disappointing season.
“My players know that there’s always going to be pressure for us. When there’s no pressure, that means no one expects anything from us. It means we don’t have goals and we’re just going out there to play. I want them to embrace pressure because that’s never going away if they want to achieve anything,” Padda expressed.
The California-native is also under a lot of pressure. Locally, Women’s volleyball draws the most attention but the sidelines are still predominantly manned by gruff male coaches.
Adamson will make history, being the first team with an all-woman coaching staff.
“I guess you can say there’s going to be pressure on us to. Hey, being a woman in this world, there’s already a lot to prove,” Padda thought.
“But I don’t want the attention to be on me, my staff, or our situation as an all-woman coaching staff. I want the show to be about winning. I want the girls to get to shine. That’s why I came out here – I want to win.”
Whether or not the Lady Falcons reach their goal of winning more games than last season is moot at this point. When it seemed that their program was heading nowhere, Padda is looking to guide the Lady Falcons to clearer skies.
