Lady Stags played like there’s no title at stake, says Gorayeb

San Sebastian Lady Stags. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Roger Gorayeb has always been a man who calls a spade a spade, and on Tuesday he was no different.

After a ridiculous outing from San Sebastian, Gorayeb blasted his team for not playing to its best even with a title on the line.

Arellano embarrassed the Lady Stags in three sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-16, in the first game of the NCAA Season 92 women’s volleyball finals.

“They didn’t come here to win a game, they didn’t come here to win a championship,” said Gorayeb Tuesday at San Juan Arena.

READ: Lady Chiefs take game 1, negate Lady Stags’ thrice-to-beat edge

San Sebastian walked with a championship luster in the eliminations after sweeping the competition en route to a 9-0 record and a bye to the finals.

Yet it was the Lady Chiefs who walked with such swagger in the Finals series where the Lady Stags had a thrice-to-beat advantage.

That thrice-to-beat edge, though, seemed like an afterthought with the way the Lady Stags played.

“They weren’t able to do anything, and that’s what baffles me,” said Gorayeb, who also steered San Sebastian to an undefeated record in Season 91 just to lose to College of St. Benilde in the Finals. “That kind of problem is for young teams, new teams. All of this already happened last year. I don’t know where their focus was during the game.”

San Sebastian failed to register a single point off its block attempts and committed 30 errors–the biggest being Denice Lim’s long service that gave the Lady Chiefs the victory.

Gorayeb gave his team his piece of mind in the hopes they could turn it around for the remainder of the series.

“I can pay each and every single one of them a million pesos, but that kind of money will never equal the joy and pride a small trophy will give,” said Gorayeb.