Adamson Lady Falcons during a game against UE Lady Warriors in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball.–UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Adamson put its woeful first-round campaign behind with a dominant display against University of the East at the start of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball second round.
The Lady Falcons reintroduced themselves on Saturday, snapping a four-game losing streak by easing past the Lady Warriors, 25-20, 25-11, 25-21.
After starting the season at 2-5, UE coach JP Yude knows Adamson will have to show a different side of them in the second half of the season and “climb lots of mountains” for the team to make the Final Four.
READ: UAAP: Adamson ends skid, UE falls to 0-8 in women’s volleyball
“I continue to encourage and motivate them because this is the second round, we’d have to climb a lot of mountains. It’s hard. I tell them to take one game at a time,” said Yude. “Even if it’s hard, it’s not impossible.”
Adamson’s dub also momentarily propelled the Soaring Falcons to the sixth seed with a 3-5 record, just a win above Ateneo (2-5) and below University of the Philippines (3-4).
Headlining the win was, predictably, Shaina Nitura, who finished with 18 points.
What was a pleasant surprise, though, was seeing Adamson’s supporting cast step up big, something the squad seemingly learned after the first round.
READ: UAAP: Rookie Shaina Nitura sets scoring record in Adamson loss
“We really learned a lot because there were lots of crucial games where we won sets but we just couldn’t win,” said Nitura.
“From there, we learned and became more eager here in the second round. We know to take more than just sets but also the win,” she added.
Mayang Nuique and Barbie Jamili helped Adamson’s cause with 11 and nine points, respectively, lifting a heavy burden off of Nitura’s shoulders.
The Lady Falcons aim to show more of what they learned after the first round on Saturday when they face the Blue Eagles at Araneta Coliseum.