For most of her young volleyball career, Fhei Sagaysay has been known as the steady orchestrator of Adamson University’s offense — the setter tasked with keeping the Lady Falcons’ attack fluid, from her days with the Lady Baby Falcons to the bright lights of UAAP women’s volleyball.
But now, in her second year in the UAAP Season 88 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, Sagaysay — the league leader in setting with 4.30 excellent sets per frame — is proving she can read opponents and impact the game in more ways than just distributing the ball.
Sagaysay was eager to help Adamson bounce back after a stumble against two-time defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs. This time, she leaned on the spiker duo of Shaina Nitura and Nigerian student-athlete Frances Mordi, delivering 15 excellent sets in a four-set victory over the University of the East.
Yet it was her scoring contributions that truly turned heads.
The 20-year-old playmaker added 10 points with five aces, four attacks, and a block, and contributed eight excellent receptions.
“Dun ko lang din binabawi yung team, na kung kaya pong makaabante sa serving area, ba’t hindi po?” Sagaysay said after the game last Saturday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
“Somehow, dun na lang din po ako bumabawi para makaangat din po yung team namin and makaputol ng momentum po,” she added.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Her five aces came at crucial moments, particularly after the Lady Warriors forced a fourth set with a dominant third frame, during which Adamson mostly fielded its rookies.
With Sagaysay back in the rotation, the Lady Falcons quickly regained control in the fourth set. Her steady playmaking, combined with her aggressiveness on both offense and defense, proved decisive.
While her mindset remains focused on contributing wherever needed, the production of the one-time Best Setter in UAAP girls’ volleyball was pivotal as Adamson improved to fourth place with a 2-1 win-loss record.
“Hindi ko naman siya dinesire ng heart ko. Kung ano lang talaga ang makakatulong sa team and yung goal po muna ng team bago yung individual,” Sagaysay said.
For Adamson head coach JP Yude, Sagaysay’s all-around effort reflects the growth he hopes to see from the Lady Falcons — a team aiming to return to the Final Four for the first time since Lucille Almonte and company did so in Season 85.
“Siguro for me, it’s a very important thing kasi and happy. And syempre diba, na kahit setter namin, they’re contributing especially sa serve talaga because nga that is always our goal, ‘no?” Yude said.
“So, na we keep serving good, all the time, to keep the opponents out of system so that yung block, and defense namin madali lang. I’m very glad no sa laro ni Fhei. All of them naman. Kahit may mga challenges, we respond talaga ng maayos during the game,” he added.
Sagaysay and Adamson will look to continue their winning ways when they face Far Eastern University next Sunday, March 1, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
