Adamson Lady Falcons’ Kate Santiago. –UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Kate Santiago has emerged as Adamson’s top scorer in their first four games but coach Jerry Yee is putting a premium on her floor defense in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament.
With the Lady Falcons winning three of their first four games, Santiago has been on a roll as she is currently the No.5 Best Scorer in the league with a total of 58 points built on 52 spikes, four blocks, and two aces.
Santiago said she is just trying to be consistent in delivering for Adamson.
(” just kept on doing what I’ve been doing for the past games. I make sure my spikes will always go straight to the line when my blocker is smaller, as what coach and Ate Louie[Romero] taught,” said Santiago after scoring 13 points in their 25-15, 25-17, 25-19 victory over University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “
That’s my strong side because if I won’t follow it, it will be harder for me to focus.)
Yee, who joined Adamson in the preseason, said he’s not just after Santiago’s contribution in scoring but also in floor defense as the young spiker is No.10 both in the Best Diggers and Best Receivers departments with 2.13 digs per set and 29.79% efficiency in receiving.
“I’m looking at our first ball. So far, probably, what I need from Kate at Lucille [Almonte] are receiving the first ball and executing the plays,” Yee said in Filipino. “So far, they’ve been delivering. I see the stats. We’re happy and we’re contented, but we have to work moving forward. We still have a lot of games.”
Santiago agreed with her coach as she continues to apply the things she gains in practice to their games.
“We’re just applying the things we do in practice and we study the tendencies of our opponents in spiking and our defensive pattern. That’s why we were able to apply it and we won the game today [against UST],” she said in Filipino.
With a 3-1 record, Adamson coach Yee wants his wards to sustain their fine form as they take on the struggling Ateneo (1-3) on Sunday at Philsports Arena.
“[Our first games] were very important because we lost to NU but we won against UST. It was a morale booster. But I have to explain to my team that it won’t mean anything [as it’s still a long way to go.] We just have to continue executing the basics,” he said.