Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
George Pascua, Far Eastern University’s fun-loving head coach, usually tries to inject a bit of humor in every situation he’s in.
He once tried to choke himself in jest with a jacket during a game in the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament, and Pascua also said the “G” in the bottle of Gatorade stands for “George.”
On Sunday, however, Pascua didn’t have a choice but suck up the grief after losing his Lady Tamaraws dropped a five-setter against defending champion De La Salle, 25-17, 21-25, 16-25, 25-20, 15-5.
FEU’s two-set advantage after the third period didn’t stand a chance as the Lady Spikers displayed their full might on the bamboozled Lady Tamaraws.
“We were able to follow our game plan in the second and third sets but we were not able to sustain it in the next sets,” said Pascua in Filipino at Filoil Flying V Centre.
The Lady Spikers were relentless in the final moments of the fifth set while also enjoying two crucial errors on FEU’s part.
FEU was called with two consecutive double contacts that gave La Salle a 23-19 lead before May Luna scored on a check ball for the 24-20 margin.
Desiree Cheng then scored on a drop ball to secure the fourth set.
The second set wasn’t that much different for the Lady Tamaraws as they saw the Lady Spikers shoot them out of the gym on a 10-2 run that closed out the match.
Pascua said his team’s fall in the last two sets can be attributed to their lack of experience, something the Lady Spikers have boatloads of.
“In the end it was the Lady Spikers’ championship experience that made the difference, they won’t let that game slip away that easily,” said Pascua of the Lady Spikers who are gunning for a third straight title this season.
“That championship experience really showed in the fifth set, and as for us that is what we don’t have.”