Cellar-dwellers for so long in the UAAP, the Adamson University Lady Falcons’ quest to breakthrough from the margins has shown a lot of promise. But after skidding to two straight losses against the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses and the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles, it seems like they are still not quite there yet.
What makes things more difficult, according to sophomore head coach Airess Padda, is that other than going against much-developed programs, they also have to battle versus a culture of losing.
“You are dealing with a program who has been losing for so long that I feel like sometimes they don’t know how to handle success. They don’t know how to create momentum off of their success,” she shared, after the Lady Falcons absorbed a loss in five sets versus Ateneo. “It’s like we had our two wins and then when we got thrown in the UST match.
“As soon as we experience any kind of inconsistent play or doubt, we just crumbled and that they are so used to doing that when things get rough instead of ‘bawi tayo’ and fighting to get the win.”
During their game against the Lady Eagles, the two squads figured in a nip-and-tuck affair. In the sets that Adamson won, they displayed solid offense and composure with their defense. But right when it mattered the most in the fifth frame, they lacked the capacity to close out the tight match.
“This was a better match, I think we played better today [versus Ateneo] than against UST, but it’s still a loss,” Padda regretfully expressed.
With a line-up filled with seasoned veterans like Jema Galanza, Mylene Paat, Mary Joy Dacoron, and Eli Soyud, Padda asserted that it is up to them to cook something up out of a promising set of ingredients.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we push you to ‘bawi’, it is something that is inside you.
“I can’t change their mindset, that is something that they have to do and that comes with experience,” Padda shared.
The route out of mediocrity is not getting any easier for the Lady Falcons. Next on deck are the defending champions De La Salle University Lady Spikers, a team with a much more established volleyball program.
“Going up against La Salle, they are not just good volleyball players, they come with a prestigious name, they are going to have a big crowd,” she said.
“I think we are just gonna focus on trying to tune that out and just play volleyball.”
