F2 Logistics head coach, Regine Diego, credited her coaching staff for the Cargo Movers’ five-set escape against Choco Mucho in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference on Tuesday night.
Despite facing a 1-2 set deficit, F2 Logistics managed to pull through and survive a grueling fifth set, outlasting a gritty Flying Titans side, 21-25, 25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 18-16, in front of a massive crowd at the Philsports Arena.
With Choco Mucho just a point away from securing the win at 13-14, Kianna Dy miscalculated her crosscourt attack, resulting in the ball sailing out. Diego’s coaching staff, however, managed to give the team a lifeline by initiating a net touch challenge, which was deemed successful.
Both teams exchanged hits from that point on, before Mars Alba, Jolina Dela Cruz, and Ivy Lacsina put on the finishing touches to secure the victory against the Flying Titans.
The 33-year-old former NU-Nazareth tactician lauded her coaching staff for spotting Choco Mucho’s violation, which paved the way for the Cargo Movers’ thrilling comeback.
“Our coaching staff actually has responsibilities and they have their own jobs inside the court. I’m coaching… well maybe I’m just the person standing up but we were working on it,” said Diego after the 2-hour, 37-minute dogfight.
“We talked about it, lahat halos ng rotation pinaguusapan namin ng coaching staff so it was really a teamwork thing kaya kudos to my coaching staff, you guys are the best.”
Diego also expressed her gratitude to the team’s strength and conditioning staff for keeping the team prepared for situations like this.
The 10,000-seater venue had a whopping total of 7,067 spectators, affecting the humidity on the playing court.
Choco Mucho stars Des Cheng (heat exhaustion) and Cherry Nunag (cramps) fell victim to the situation. Cheng had to be carried out of the venue on a stretcher and was eventually sent to the nearest hospital.
“Also add ko rin, that fifth set was kudos to coach Carlo, our conditioning coach, and coach Sonny [Montalvo] because if they [players] are not well-conditioned enough, I don’t think we can survive that set,” said Diego.
But despite the morale-boosting win, Diego reminded her team to stay focused as they try to solidify their spot in the semifinals against Petro Gazz on Thursday.
“Well, it’s good to celebrate kasi a win is a win and that win is amazing but siyempre, it’s not the end yet,” she said.
“All we have to do is remind these girls that we have to recover more because our next game is on Thursday. So recovery is everything.”
