The difference in Princess Robles’ shape between her days in the UAAP Juniors Division and now is astronomical.
She flaunts a sleeker physique, having lost around 10 kilograms in the off-season. She also now sits at a bit more than 130 kilos, all the better to smash kills with.
Robles was on fire against La Salle, tallying 18 points and featuring in a sequence in the third set that had the defending champions reeling.
Although they lost, the 19-year-old open spiker has shown her star potential in an NU team filled with young talent.
“Malaking tulong po talaga na mabawasan ‘yung weight ko kasi ‘yun po talaga ‘yung problema namin,” said Robles, as she and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs paid particular attention to conditioning in the off-season.
Despite standing just 5-foot-4, Robles – who has scored in double-digits in all of NU’s three matches – has been one of the reasons why the Lady Bulldogs have been the feel-good story of Season 81, despite harsh injuries and roster cuts.
Against La Salle, the Lady Bulldogs focused on getting a win and disregarding their underdog status.
“Hindi po namin inisip na champion team sila. Magawa lang namin ‘yung part namin. Todo bigay kami sa laro,” said the native of Iloilo City.
“Iniisip namin is manalo and makabawi.”
Still, with 11 games on the schedule, the road is going to be tougher for NU. This boost in confidence will come in handy for Robles.
“Importante po sa akin. Masarap sa feeling po. Parang nahihikayat ko din ‘yung teammates ma magstep up para maready kami sa next game.”
