Coach’s choking gesture fires up Pons in win over NU

FEU Lady Tamaraws. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

It was a gesture borne out of frustration, but Bernadeth Pons saw her head coach’s antics as fuel to lead Far Eastern University in a four set win over erstwhile unbeaten National University in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.

FEU trailed NU 22-20 in the second set when Bernadeth Pons threw away a point with a service error and gave the Lady Tamaraws enough momentum to get the period, 27-25, and tie the sets at one apiece.

Lady Tamaraws head coach George Pascua responded by choking himself with one of the warmers that was draped on his bench.

READ: FEU ends NU’s streak, gets share of second spot

“That could’ve been a crucial point for us,” said Pascua in Filpino Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Centre. “It’s okay if we lost on kills, just not on service errors. So that was my reaction, and I didn’t even see it on TV.”

Although Pascua didn’t see his antics on the replay monitor, Pons saw her mentor commit the gesture live.

“I saw it because I was the one who committed the mistake,” said Pons laughing. “That was a crucial one because we were already in the 20s, and the service error really shifts the momentum. NU didn’t even give an effort to score, so when that happened I had the drive to get that point back.”

Pons made up for her mistake as she  led the Lady Tamaraws to the 25-22, 25-27, 25-13, 25-20 triumph which put them at a 4-2 record and snapped the Lady Bulldogs’ five-game winning streak.

FEU gained a share of the second spot with Ateneo and De La Salle while NU stayed in first place with a 5-1 card.

Pons finished with a game-high 18 points, five more than NU star Jaja Santiago, and 11 excellent receptions.