Padda says Adamson got ‘too excited, complacent’ in set 4 breakdown

Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Adamson University needed just three more points to pull of a stunner against Ateneo in the second round of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.

The Lady Falcons held a commanding 22-15 lead in the fourth set against the Lady Eagles, then a baffling collapse  allowed Ateneo to come back en route to the win, 24-26, 25-19, 21-25, 26-24, 15-12.

Adamson head coach Air Padda was in disbelief over how they squandered a seven-point lead down the stretch in the fourth set.

“Sayang! (That was close!) Honestly, we should’ve taken care of them in the fourth, the fourth set was our set,” said Padda Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Padda added her players got carried away with the momentum, especially against Ateneo who have developed into one of the league’s elite after taking two championships in six straight finals appearances.

“I guess the curse of Adamson is that we don’t have a winning culture and when you’re trying to create a winning culture our team just gets too excited,” said Padda. “They get too complacent and they feel like they’ve already won the game.”

Although the Lady Eagles were able to come back in the fourth set, not all of those points were of their own volition.

Ateneo closed the fourth set on an 11-4 run and four of the points that got put on the Lady Eagles’ board were Adamson’s errors.

Jema Galanza was called with a controversial net touch—video replays shown on the telecast proved otherwise, but it can’t be used to reverse the referee’s decision—that trimmed the lead to 22-19.

Another crucial error that was called once again featured Galanza when lead referee Fernando Velarde called a crossing violation after Adamson’s skipper landed on an off-speed kill that tied the set at 24-24.

A non-call on Galanza’s play would’ve awarded Adamson the game, instead the error allowed Ateneo to further catch up and extend the match to the fifth set.

Padda, who previously lashed out at referees’ inconsistencies in her matches, tried to hold herself back from criticizing the officials but she was still surprised with how the calls were made especially in the late stages of the fourth set.

“There were a few calls that were iffy, but I don’t know,” said Padda whose team slipped to 5-6 and to the fifth seed in the standings. “I was surprised with the call he made on Jema, I’m not gonna lie, that was at game point.”