New coach brings mental toughness to ‘underdog’ Lady Falcons

New Adamson coach Airess Padda. Photo by Bong Lozada

Newly-minted Adamson head coach Airess Padda is keen on bringing the Lady Falcons to a higher altitude come the UAAP Season 79 women’s volleyball tournament.

And she’s bringing along with her the mentality she had as a stalwart at California State.

“They’re ready, they’re working hard,” said the American mentor Tuesday at Adamson University Gym. “It’s all about the mindset and changing that because as an athlete, if you don’t believe you’re capable of accomplishing something, you won’t, no matter how good you are.”

Padda, who stands a just a few shades below six feet, played middle blocker–a position that requires a towering presence–during in college but she proven you can outwit physical gifts.

She was the Golden Eagles’ best blocker and left the school with the third-highest kills with 205.

“We’re the underdog this year and when you look at us you don’t see a big team, a lot of height,” said Padda. “You look at La Salle, they have height, they have power, Ateneo, NU [National University] with Jaja [Santiago], we don’t have a Jaja.”

Santiago, who stands at 6’5”, is by far the most imposing player in the UAAP and Adamson’s six-foot middle blocker Mary Joy Dacoron is still a head shorter than the Lady Bulldog.

“But you can definitely outsmart your opponent with speed and the right mindset, so it’s the mental toughness that I teach them.”