National University’s Norman Miguel summed up his team’s misfortune when he took over last year.
“First game with an eleven-man lineup, eight rookies, three seniors… Lahat na lang. Pero wala na lang.”
NU are certainly down on their luck. Aside from losing UAAP Season 80 Women’s Volleyball tournament MVP Jaja Santiago and starter Aiko Urdas to graduation, the Lady Bulldogs also lost setter Jasmine Nabor and hitter Jorelle Singh due to a management issue. Two weeks before the start of Season 81, Risa Sato was deemed ineligible to play due to academic deficiencies.
Miguel ended up with just 11 women on the lineup – eight of whom are rookies.
To add to their misfortune, their only setter, rookie Joyme Cagande, suffered an apparent knee ligament sprain in the third set of their first match of Season 81.
NU’s new head coach is left with barely anything, but he knows he has to move on.
“Instead of mag-dwell ako with all those challenges, bakit pa, diba?
“Look for the positive side na lang. We’ll train harder, we’ll bond together pa. All the more na malabas na ‘yung character namin,” he concluded.
Miguel plans to convert rookie Kly Orillaneda to setter and have libero Joni Chavez as her back up.
“Alam naman namin ‘yung situation namin, so sabi namin na parang bonus na lang na nakakapaglaro pa kami.”
