Cariño vows to lead Perpetual to higher grounds after Final Four exit

Macky Cariño’s first year as the head coach of University of Perpetual Help has come to an end, but he vowed he would bring the Lady Altas to the big ball in the next few years.

The Lady Altas had their championship dreams interrupted after San Beda handed them a three-set loss in the Final Four of the NCAA Season 93 women’s volleyball tournament, 25-21, 25-15, 25-23.

Cariño said going from the fifth seed with a 5-4 record a year ago straight to the title round isn’t a one-year fix, but he knows they will eventually get there.

“We didn’t overachieve, but this from the no.5 to the no.3 seed is an achievement,” said Cariño in Filipino Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre. “I just started with this team, but this is a good start.”

Cariño, who was able to lead the Lady Altas to a 7-2 record in the preliminaries, even likened his initial start with Perpetual to his previous job with College of St. Benilde when he led the Lady Blazers to the championship in Season 91.

College of St. Benilde had been perennial afterthought in the tournament and Cariño slowly built the team into a contender the moment he joined the Lady Blazers in 2013.

“This is similar to my journey with Benilde when I led them from 7th to 3rd,” said Cariño of his tenure with the Lady Blazers. “Becoming a champion takes time, and in time we’ll get there.”

“There will come a time that we will be able to fight for the championship or even become the champion.”