Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Adamson University’s inspired win over University of the East in the second round of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament ended a woeful past several weeks for the Lady Falcons.
The Lady Falcons were in a tailspin prior to facing the Lady Warriors having lost four of their last five games, and Chiara Permentilla also sprained her left ankle a few days before the match.
With momentum not on their side, veterans Jema Galanza and Mylene Paat knew they had to take action.
Like a beaten down protagonist going up against a confident foe, the Lady Falcons exchanged every imaginable blow with the Lady Warriors to take the five-set win, 19-25, 25-11, 16-25, 16-25, 15-12.
Galanza and Paat dealt the knockout blows and all the while lifting the spirits of their younger teammates.
“Chiara’s injury was a big blow to the team but I saw that every one of my teammates we ready,” said Paat in Filipino Sunday at Filoil Flying V Centre.
For skipper Galanza, it would be up to the veterans to inspire their younger teammates amid the adversity they were in.
“This was a challenge for us to push them even further,” said Galanza in Filipino. “We should be able to show to them that we will fight for them and that we shouldn’t give up on the challenges we face.”
Galanza was the one to strike first for the Lady Falcons when she found the right corner off a crosscourt kill that put them up, 14-11, then Paat ended the Lady Warriors’ fight with an off-the-block spike.
The win saw Adamson move up to fifth place with a 4-5 record, a slate Galanza said could’ve been better if they were able to win their previous matches.
“If we could’ve won in our past games we could’ve had a better track to the Final Four but this is the situation we’re in right now,” said Galanza who led her team with 22 points. “Of course we regret not taking those chances, but we have to fight right now.”
“We shouldn’t just work double the rate we’re doing, we have to triple it,” said Paat who had 18 points. “We have to really work for everything.”