Santiago admits NU got ‘excited’ in poor start vs UE

Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

National University seemed to have the easiest first-game matchup with University of the East—the worst team in the league a season ago—as its opponent in the UAAP Season 79 women’s volleyball opener on Saturday.

But it didn’t take long for the Lady Bulldogs to know that the game was anything but easy with the Lady Warriors showing they are not a team to mess with.

UE stunned NU, 25-18, in the opening set and Jaja Santiago feels the Lady Bulldogs failed to keep their emotions in check causing the team to yield the first set.

“I think we were excited and each of us felt cocky and that played a major factor in the first set,” the towering spiker said Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Lady Bulldogs committed 19 of their total 27 errors in the opening set before regrouping to take the next three.

Santiago said NU didn’t undermine UE’s abilities but she cited that there’s no one to blame for the poor start but themselves after going into the match not having the proper mindset.

“I know that UE wants to win, I think we were just too excited and we were too relaxed coming in,” said Santiago, who had 21 points.