First start this season morale booster for UP veteran spiker Marian Buitre

MANILA, Philippines—University of the Philippines needed someone to fill in for the injured Isa Molde and veteran spiker Marian Buitre was more than up to the task.

Molde was averaging 12.8 points before she sprained her left ankle in the Lady Maroons’ three-set loss to Ateneo in the previous game, and Buitre, who had to ride the bench in favor of Molde and Diana Carlos, dutifully stepped up.

Buitre was sensational in her first start this season, scoring 19 points to lead the Lady Maroons to a tight win over the Lady Warriors’ 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 24-26, 15-11 where she more than made up for Molde’s per-game average.

“My mindset coming to the game, like I said in my previous interviews, is that I’m always there when they need me,” said Buitre. “I won’t leave and the coaches always tell us that whoever we’re going to face we have to treat that game as a championship game. So that’s my mindset for every game, not just this one.”

Buitre was also key in UP’s fifth set run scoring two straight point that gave the Lady Maroons a 9-5 lead helping them establish their buffer in the final period.

“It feels good to be back! Coming in from the bench for the first round and a few games in the second round, this game is a morale booster for me,” said Buitre.

The veteran hitter added that she hopes she could get a better game in the future after her performance against UE set her career-high in points.

“I was trying hard to get my momentum and this was a morale booster for me,” said Buitre in Filipino. ” I hope I can score more in the future.”