Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
National University was deemed as the team that will challenge Ateneo’s bid for a third consecutive UAAP women’s volleyball title. But that distinction once more belonged to De La Salle while the Lady Bulldogs were left to fight for scraps in the middle of the pack.
Ateneo still sits at the top with a 6-1 record after the first round, DLSU at second with 5-1, but NU is at fourth with a 3-3 record filled with inconsistencies including a straight-set loss to Far Eastern University, which has overtaken the Lady Bulldogs in third.
READ: UAAP: FEU sweeps NU, moves to 3rd
Jaja Santiago, the Lady Bulldogs’ towering middle-blocker, said there is one thing that has been causing their inconsistent run in the first round.
“We lack teamwork,” Santiago said in Filipino on Sunday. “A lot of people are saying that we’re not playing as a team. We’re playing as individuals. That’s what we need to address first.”
Santiago finished with 12 points but despite her height only recorded a single successful block in the game while NU, overall, had two as a team.
Making matters worse for NU is the sight of its head coach Roger Gorayeb walking-out in the third set.
Santiago said they don’t have any problems with their communication in the floor and what gives them problems inside is their composure as a team.
“We communicate with each other but I guess when we make mistakes, when we fall behind and when teams score against us, we tend to be quiet,” she said.