The plight of the Adamson Volleyball program over the past few weeks has been well-documented.
Irreconcilable differences with the administration pushed Sherwin Meneses out of his beloved Alma Mater. With no one to coach the Lady Falcons, management decided to temporarily have Falcons’ head coach Domingo Custodio pull double-duties.
The sudden, mid-season change not only had a dire effect on the Lady Falcons ,but also on the Falcons, who slumped to a string of losses to open the second round.
Adamson nearly surrendered against the De La Salle University Green Spikers last Sunday. Down 1-2 in sets, AdU team captain Michael Sudaria told Tiebreaker Times the vibe during the huddle.
“Medyo nag-papanic na si coach (Custodio), napapasigaw na talaga siya,” Sudaria recalled. “Kapag ganoon kasi hindi na masyadong nakakatulong sa team ‘yun. Matagal na rin kami (teammates) magkakasama, kami ‘yung nasa loob ng court, alam namin kung saan kami nagkukulang.”
Having been team captain for two seasons, Sudaria knows it’s his job to keep his teammates focused during frantic times.
“Sinabi ko lang sa kanila na kalma lang tayo, hindi pa tapos ‘yung laban. Tatagan lang natin ‘yung loob natin, hindi naman matatapos ang volleyball ng dalawang sets lang. Saka beterano na rin kami, marami na kaming laban na pinagdaanan. Kaya alam namin na kaya namin yan,” Sudaria said.
The Falcons wound up taking the match in five sets, showing their veteran poise in the fifth set. Even as La Salle skipper Raymark Woo set a league record, the rowdy Falcons limited their errors and pulled clutch defensive plays, ending the match by the tightest possible margin.
On his part, Sudaria understands why coach Custodio tends to have a stressful disposition.
“Matanda na rin kasi talaga si coach. Tapos, ayoon nga, grabe din ‘yung pressure sa kanya na mapaabot kami ng Finals sabay siya din ‘yung magco-coach kay sa babae. Hindi naman talaga biro ‘yung pag-handle sa dalawang team.”
In his first three seasons with the Falcons, Sudaria has experienced making the Final Four but never the Finals. During those seasons, the Falcons only managed to earn fourth seed, thus succumbing to their twice-to-beat foes.
But this year, Adamson have a chance to finish the elimination round as high as the second seed. With an 8-3 record, the Falcons will most likely need to sweep their last three matches to keep the National U Bulldogs (7-4) at bay.
“‘Yun talaga ang target namin, magka-twice-to-beat. Kaya naman namin, kailangan lang talaga maging mas consistent. Kahit ano namang seed, pipilitin nami maka-Finals, gutom na kami. Pero ngayon nandiyan na ‘yung chance, kukunin na namin.”
