Airess Padda has the toughest job in local volleyball.
The American took over an Adamson University program in flux, with several players departing due to a mid-season coaching change last year.
Padda has worked with what she’s been given and has improved Admason’s remaining players. Her 0-8 record does not do justice to the heavy coaching Padda has had to do.
The California native admits that this has been one of the hardest years in her coaching career, having had trouble instilling a winning attitude in the team.
“It’s been hard. This is probably the hardest season I’ve ever had coaching.
“It’s hard because you’re with this team everyday and you see what they’re capable of. We train them a certain way so you expect a certain performance. But something is missing, something’s not translating from practice to the game,” Padda told Tiebreaker Times.
“I think they’re finally getting used to being out there, competing in the UAAP. The bad isn’t going away, the crowd isn’t going away, the other team isn’t going away so I think we’re starting to get over it.
“We’ve done a lot of different things. I think they’re mental toughness is getting stronger, but I think our inexperienced still kicks us in the butt — our making a bunch of unforced errors and just them getting down on themselves. This is a game, it’s not practice. It’s every point matters and they don’t understand that concept just yet,” she added.
Padda and the rest of her coaching staff have been trying to solve the players’ mental puzzle, as the Lady Falcons struggle to shift from their practice phase to game phase.
“This is what the coaches believe: because we’ve trained them so hard — the trainings are pretty tough — and the girls play at a high level there because that’s what we expect. We don’t go for anything less. So they’re training in practice to not get punished. It’s not winning that they’re focused on; it’s the punishment or the fear of getting punished,” she shared.
Team captain Jema Galanza has been Adamson’s best player. Apart from her, however, the Lady Falcons have not had consistent contributors. The burden of leading the team both in production and mentality has taken a toll on the fourth year open hitter, and Padda has noticed it.
“I warned her that this season is going to be really tough for her because she’s gonna have to carry us. Even though she’s the best player on our team, there’s gonna be games where she’s not gonna look like that because out team — it’s almost sometimes I feel like we drown her,” she claimed.
“She’s been handling it well. She’s always so positive, always talking to the girls and trying to help. But I can tell she’s starting to get drained. She needs help. She needs people to step up and carry the load with her.”
On her part, Padda is still in high spirits. Her aim is not just to improve during this season, but to lay the groundwork for the future.
“I’m not a quitter. This has actually motivated me. I tell the coaches, we’re building a foundation, it’s the bottom. We’re setting the foundation for something really great to happen.
“This is where all the hard work is going to be, this is where we’re gonna get tested. If, say three years from now, we end up in the Final Four or championship, the feeling that I’m gonna feel is going to be amazing not because we won, it’s because of the journey,” she insisted.
“It’s definitely testing me. There’s been some nights where I think I’ve grown like five gray hairs but you just can’t see it because I have a lot of hair. But I’m not giving up.”
