The FilOil Flying V Centre has seen many things, but rarely does it see patronage from the University of the East community — at least not for volleyball.
But earlier today, wisps of red-clad fans painted the arena bleachers, and whispers of “Bomba UE!” exploded into a full-fledged crescendo as the Lady Warriors nearly upset the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons in the second set of their encounter. The Lady Maroons eventually prevailed, but not without the Lady Warriors having their moment.
For many of the current Lady Warriors, having a crowd behind them felt blissfully bizarre. Team captain Shaya Adorador has been with the team for four seasons and had never had expectations like this on her. She relishes every bit of support they get.
“Sobrang happy po kasi naaalala ko before, puro Team B lang po namin or yung family ng teammates ko ang sumusuporta sa amin.
“Parang ngayon nakikita ng UE community na nag-iimprove kaya very happy kami na nakikita nila ‘yung team as worth the support,” Adorador told Tiebreaker Times.
“Sobrang natuwa po ako na ngayon may mga fans at taga-UE talaga na pumunta. Kasi before makikita mo lang na nagchee-cheer sa amin ‘yung fans nang ibang schools kapag dumidikit kami sa kalaban.
“Hindi nga marining ‘yung mga cheer ng UE. Iba talaga ‘yung pakiramdam kanina na may naniniwala sa amin,” added converted setter Roselle Baliton.
UE have improved from being the league’s doormat to being one of the most imposing squads. Baliton, who stands at 6-foot-3 with long arms, is an evidence of UE’s concerted effort to recruit tall girls and develop them in the program. The Lady Warriors converted 14 block kills against UP, something they want to keep going.
“Malaking bagay po sa amin ‘yung blocking kasi kung makukuha na po namin sa taas ‘yung atake ng kalaban, mas madali kaming makaka-opensa,” added Baliton.
But the Lady Warriors are still admittedly lacking in other skills, like attacking — they only had 18 attack points against the Lady Maroons in 88 attempts. As one of the team’s main hitters, Adorador sees this as her responsibility.
“Kailangan ko po pa talagang maging confident sa sarili ko lalo na kapag kailangan ng team ng puntos. Part na rin ‘yun ng pagiging leader ko on the court,” added Adorador.
The Lady Warriors have come incredibly close to pulling out wins in their first two matches. It’s only a matter of time before UE starts winning more matches and hearts.
“Alam po namin na nandoon na kami. Nandoon na ‘yung skills namin. Maturity na lang talaga ang kailangan namin,” said the 5-foot-9 outside hitter.
