Despite being the only team that has conquered Cignal in the entire tournament, the Sta. Elena Ball Hammers believe that plucking out a win from the HD Spikers in the semifinals is no walk in the park.
“‘Pag nakaharap uli namin yung Cignal, mas pagpupursigihan pa namin ng maayos hanggang sa manalo kami against sa kanila,” bared Edward Camposano.
Regardless of their out exceptional victory, Sta. Elena team captain James Natividad is well aware of the HD Spikers’ championship pedigree and bared that his squad will need to work extra hard to climb an upset in the Final Four stage.
“Kahit natalo namin sila, mag-hard work pa din kami kasi malakas ang Cignal, kumpleto eh. Kumbaga, ‘di kami puwedeng magrelax sa game na ‘yon, push lang talaga,” said Natividad.
“Magaadjust kami, iwas error kami lalo na sa receive namin. Dun kami magsisimula sa service at receive namin, especially sa blocks namin at depensa.”
Nico Almendras – who has been Sta. Elena’s leading scorer with 15.60 points per game, echoed his captain’s sentiments, saying, “Paghahandaan namin sila, then sa training doble sipag pa kami. Focus lang sa bawat ginagawa.”
On the other hand, despite being in a tough situation, Camposano intends to use their underdog status to fuel his game as they plan to take down the HD Spikers.
“Siyempre mag gigil talaga kami manalo, [kasi] sila yung number one, talagang pagpupursigihan namin,” he said.
With the pressure kicking in, Natividad is ready to take the mantle and serve as a guide to his younger teammates in their much-anticipated showdown against the league’s best.
“May pressure sa mga baguhan namin, pero siyempre kaming mga matagal na, siyempre kami pa rin yung magga-guide sa kanila papunta sa semifinals.”
