The Adamson University Lady Falcons were supposed to be a highly-improved squad this UAAP Season 80. But, they still ended up losing to a hapless University of the East team.
Adamson gave up 52 errors en route to five-set defeat to UE, a team that last won in the first round of UAAP Season 79 and had only two wins in three seasons prior to this season.
Lady Falcons head coach Air Padda was disgusted with the way her team performed and was almost at a loss for words.
“Really disappointing,” was all Padda could muster at first when asked about her team’s fourth loss of the season, just a week after they beat defending champions DLSU Lady Spikers.
“They showed up with a very weak mindset today, they were really complacent, they didn’t respect UE, and they didn’t care.
“They were way too cocky, and I don’t know. The coaches are shocked,” she furthered. “I’m still trying to take in what happened. I don’t understand how we made that many errors. It was almost like they were playing for the other team, like they wanted UE to win. I don’t know. Embarrassing.
“For me, personally, it’s embarrassing. Because we don’t train them like that. I don’t know who that team was out there.”
The American tactician also cleared why Jema Galanza, Eli Soyud, and Chiara Permentilla didn’t start the match.
“We just thought other girls deserved an opportunity to play. Eli and Jema weren’t even in training this week, so, I felt they don’t deserve a chance to start,” the second year Lady Falcons head coach said, denying that she herself underestimated the Lady Warriors. She also doesn’t feel the trio’s benching was the main reason for their loss.
“I don’t regret it. I don’t think it’s the reason why we lost.
“I mean, I have morals as a coach, I have to stick to my own. And when you’re not in training the whole week, you can’t just show up and play. And especially if it was personal choice or whatever came up, if you’re not doing the work in training with the team, I don’t understand how I’m just supposed to start you when other girls have been working hard, they’ve been there,” the youthful tactician added.
“But I just didn’t think it was fair. And as a coach, I don’t want to kill somebody’s dream. My job as a coach is to give everyone an opportunity to play, because that’s what I train them for. So who would I be if I didn’t give them that opportunity? I don’t know if I could look at myself and call myself their coach. So that was my decision,” she insisted.
Padda doesn’t know how the Lady Falcons will recover. Still, she has faith that they will.
“If our road wasn’t hard before, it’s even harder now. There is no room for error. Every game is gonna matter. We gotta win at least five at the very least, at least five of round 2 if we even wanna be qualified for the Final Four, and I mean it’s pressure. I don’t know how we’re gonna bounce back. I don’t have the answers for that right now. But I know that we will,” Padda closed.
“I just… there seems to be no consistency with my team, and I think that’s the most frustrating part about this season. We have the tools, we have the management, the backing, but it’s the players’ performance, it’s not consistent, and that is something that I don’t know how to fix.”
