The University of the Philippines Lady Maroons were inches away from another Final Four appearance, but fell just a game short.
After a rough start to the season, the lady spikers from Diliman pulled through with a late victory against UAAP rivals National University Lady Bulldogs to even their record at 3-3.
However, in their win-or-go-home tiff against the Laoag Power Smashers, a selection of former UAAP and NCAA players, the Lady Maroons showed their youthful inexperience and sputtered, ending their season.
Before the same batch of Lady Maroons made their glorious march to their university’s first UAAP Final Four appearance in nearly a decade during the 78th Season of the UAAP, they first rallied during the SVL Season 12 Reinforced Conference playoffs last December. It was a breakthrough for the school’s women’s volleyball teams, as it was UP’s first semifinal stint in the country’s pioneering club league.
Although another playoff would have delighted UP head coach Jerry Yee, the stern mentor was not disappointed with his team’s performance in this conference.
Yee admitted he has always used the pre-UAAP tournaments as character builders for his young squad.
Given the numerous lineup adjustments the Lady Maroons have had to assimilate, like playing with a new setter, Yee lauded his team’s gradual adjustment throughout the SVL season.
“We weren’t expecting much sa pagsali namin dito – practice and exposure pa rin talaga ang habol namin dito. I was actually surprised na, kahit papaano, maganda pa rin ang showing nila,” Yee told Tiebreaker Times after their loss to Laoag.
“There were changes sa rotation, changes sa personnel so nakita natin kung gaano kapanget (noong simula),” he furthered. “Pero slowly nakita rin natin yung adjustment which was good.”
Yee, still with his team’s long-term goals in mind, has already confirmed UP’s participation in the upcoming Collegiate Conference.
“The Collegiate Conference will be a good barometer for where the program is now,” Yee said about the tournament, wherein teams from nearly every major collegiate league will be participating.
“Right now, in the program, we’re in the development stage. We’re doing a lot of weights and calisthenics so pagdating siguro sa mga games, medyo pagod tayo. Pero may expectations pa rin from ourselves that we’re going to perform,” Yee concluded.
