UAAP Season 80 looks promising for the previously-struggling Adamson University Lady Falcons. as several players will be coming into the lineup.
Aside from transferee Eli Soyud, and May Roque, who sat out Season 79 with an ACL tear, opposite hitter Mylene Paat and Fhen Emnas will be coming back to play their final year of UAAP eligibility.
Head coach Airess Padda confirmed the development to Tiebreaker Times earlier today after Akari-Adamson lost their first match of the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference.
“Of course they’re coming back!
“They’re on the team. They train with us,” said incoming-second year head coach Padda.
The Lady Falcons were already supposed to have Emnas and middle blocker Joy Dacoron on the Open Conference lineup, but a late mixup with the Bureau of Customs prevented that from happening.
“BOC was supposed to be playing this conference. There was a mix-up. Her and Fhen [Emnas] had already signed contracts with them. Turns out, they weren’t going to play. When we turned in the lineup, it was too late to add them. That’s the only reason they’re not playing.”
Paat and Emnas left the program after Season 78, the same year that former head coach Sherwin Meneses left the San Marcelino-based university.
Now that they’ve reconciled with the program, the Lady Falcons look like an early contender for the UAAP Season 80 Final Four as other teams have lost major talent.
In Season 79, Padda’s first year at the helm, the Lady Falcons flunked out early and finished with a 1-13 record.
Heading into her second season, Padda admitted to her excitement for what the Lady Falcons can accomplish.
“It’s definitely looking more within reach. There’s still so much work to be done. But I’m excited for them. It’s different when you have girls like Mylene, Fhen, and even like having Eli that are just coming back because they’re good,” the American mentor added.
“They’re coming back and they want it. They wanna help our team. They want to get in the Final Four before they graduate and win a championship.”
