Padda, Lady Falcons relish pressure from school officials

Adamson Lady Falcons. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Adamson has moved leaps and bounds in the UAAP this Season 80.

The Pep Squad shook up the cheerdance landscape after winning their first title and the Soaring Falcons almost pulled off the unthinkable in the Final Four.

With such accomplishments from the first two competitors in the UAAP Grand Slam, all eyes are now on the Lady Falcons.

Adamson finished dead last in Season 79 winning just one game and losing 13, but a strong showing in the collegiate conference of the Premier Volleyball League became a beacon of hope for Adamson’s women’s volleyball team.

Head coach Airess Padda, though, is not shying away from the pressure for a breakthrough this season which starts February 3

“Yes they have been pressuring us and they’ve put a lot of pressure on us,” said Padda Thursday during the team’s practice. “They want to keep it going and they don’t want it to stop with basketball and the Pep Squad.”

The Adamson Pep Squad shocked the UAAP viewing public when they dethroned the five-peat seeking National University Pep Squad, while the Soaring Falcons almost dashed to the Finals and nearly eliminating De La Salle.

Those moments of brilliance are what Adamson school officials are now looking for from the Lady Falcons, after all the girls in navy blue won six straight in the PVL Collegiate Conference before an injury to skipper Jema Galanza saw their fortunes crumble. The Lady Falcons still finished at a respectable fourth place in the offseason tournament.

Padda knows the pressure from the bosses is another way of telling them that they can stun the competition in the women’s volleyball tournament.

“Pressure’s a privilege, it’s a privilege to be in this position because if no one’s pressuring us to do well then it’s a dead giveaway that they don’t believe you can do it,” said Padda.

“It’s different when you’re pressuring somebody to know what they can do, than when they’re pressuring somebody that doesn’t stand a chance. We know we stand a chance so it’s a privilege to be in this position and we want to make the school proud.”