It appears that Mars Alba had no problems adjusting to her new team.
According to the young setter, she found striking similarities between Choco Mucho head coach Dante Alinsunurin and her college coach Ramil De Jesus, which greatly helped her transition to the Flying Titans.
“Naaalala ko si Coach Ramil (De Jesus) sa kaniya kasi parang halos same lang din talaga, may sistema then ayun tahimik lang si coach eh. Masaya siya kasama. Tumatawa tawa rin si Coach Dante,” said the former La Salle playmaker during the PVL Media Day on Sunday.
“Actually ano eh, masaya ako kasi given na si Coach Dante (Alinsunurin) magaling talaga na coach. Okay naman kasi hindi ako ganun nahirapan dahil yun nga, welcome na welcome ako sa Choco Mucho and pinakilala nila yung sistema nila agad sa amin,” she added.
Alba also said that she found new mentors in the likes of assistant coach Jessie Lopez, and veteran setters Deanna Wong and Jem Ferrer.
“Thankful ako kasi parang nung pagpasok ko sa Choco Mucho, lumawak pa yung setting skills ko eh, yung IQ ko sa volleyball. Sobrang dami kong natutunan kay Coach Jessie given na ilang weeks pa lang kami magkasama,” said Alba on Lopez.
“Masaya kasi healthy competition kami. Yun nga, three setters parang nagpapalitan kami ng idea and mga skills namin,” she added.
The former UAAP Finals MVP and Best Setter admitted that she feels pressure since Choco Mucho is coming off a stellar stint in the previous conference where they made their first finals appearance.
Nevertheless, Alba believes that she can overcome the jitters and become a solid contributor to the Flying Titans’ quest for their first-ever PVL title.
“For me kasi syempre may pressure given na bago ako sa team. For sure, mataas din yung expectations sa’kin ng mga tao, especially nung management and coaches. Gagawin ko lang yung best ko na mao-offer sa team and susunod lang ako sa sistema talaga,” said Alba.
“For me, confident ako kasi given na last PVL conference, nakita naman natin na Choco Mucho is mataas talaga yung pinerform. Given na yung sistema nila coach Dante, nagwo-work talaga. Susunod lang ako sa sistema nila.”
