WHEN the University of Santo Tomas Lady Spikers face perennial UAAP contender De La Salle University on opening day, the public focus will be on the team’s new recruits as coach Augusto Santamaria expects his rookies to play a vital role in the Volleybelles’ campaign this season.
With the stinging setback of last year’s Final Four already behind them, the UST Lady Spikers have renewed hopes this year with the entry of some quality rookies into their fold.
First-year Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) students Anna Fulo and Kate Co Yu Kang, Commerce freshman Karen Macasait, and IPEA sophomore Melissa Cruz will now man the posts that veteran spikers Kristine Dave, Catherine Lim, and Irene Montessino left behind.
Fulo came from Quezon City High School, Co Yu Kang from Jubilee Christian Academy, where she was the best junior player, while Macasait hails from De La Salle University-Lipa.
On the other hand, Dave transferred to Adamson University (AdU) due to academic problems incurred during the second semester. Montessino, who now plays for the Philippine Air Force team, and Lim have both played out their UAAP eligibility.
Rookie effect
Although the team lost some key players, Santamaria believes that his rookies will more than hold their own against other big time collegiate players.
“Pinaglaro ko iyong mga bagong players sa Baguio to see how well they react, and when the team is down, the rookies never gave up. Laban lang sila ng laban,” Santamaria said.
Santamaria added that his three new recruits’ aggressive type of play rubs off on the team’s veterans, especially during crunch time.
“Being young and energetic, nadadala nilang gumalaw iyong mga matatanda. Maganda iyong blending nila,” Santamaria said.
Santamaria noted that UST has a deeper bench this year compared with last year’s line-up.
“Ngayong taon, maraming options. If I field in six players and I substitute them with another six, ganoon pa din ang strength ng team. Kung halimbawa makita ko na pumapangit ang laro ng isa, may ipapalit na ako agad,” Santamaria said.
Unlike last year, when the team tended to lose heart every time they were down by big margins in a game, he noted that this time, his players do not easily give up on losing situations. And the multi-titled coach attributes this improvement to zzz the rookies’
“Never-say-die spirit”
“Ang pinaka-importante na changes sa team na ito, dati pag natalo mo sila sa unang set, wala na. Ngayon pag tinalo mo sila, hindi ka makakasiguro dahil iyong mga bata, they’re very aggressive. Nadadala nila iyong mga lumang players na may attitude na madaling mag-give up. All out sila maglaro. They’re very proud of wearing that uniform for UST,” Santamaria said.
For UST Lady Spikers team-captain Kimberly Racaza, the rookies’ entry made the team more versatile.
Inter-collegiate tournament
As part of their preparations for the upcoming UAAP volleyball scuffle, the Lady Spikers participated in the Intercollegiate Volleyball Tournament in Baguio last June, where they were the defending champions.
However, despite being one of the more important pre-season events, this year’s tournament featured only three UAAP teams — UST, De La Salle, and National University (NU).
Still, with mostly non-UAAP teams participating, UST went off to a slow start in the early goings of the tournament, but still mustered enough tenacity to arrange a finals showdown against De La Salle.
Unfortunately, a bad judgment call by the referees in the fourth set stopped the rallying Tigresses on their tracks en route to a four-set loss to De La Salle, 16-25, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25.
With De La Salle taking the first two sets and leading 21-19 in the third, UST was on the verge of losing their title via a sweep.
As if on cue, UST started to get their offense going in the third set and never relented on their defense to tie the game, 23-all.
Successive kills by UST saved them from a humiliating sweep by La Salle and forced the controversial fourth set.
With the momentum suddenly shifting on UST’s side, La Salle was up by one, 22-21. The Lady Archers then committed a touch ball violation, which the referees failed to call.
The no-call pushed De La Salle up by two. Then a service error and a net violation by UST gave the intercollegiate volleyball crown to the Lady Archers.
But UST team-captain Kimberly Racaza does not want to use the decision as an excuse for their loss. The team committed too many errors during the game, which eventually led to their downfall, she added.
Despite losing the crown, Santamaria said he is proud of the team’s achievement considering that he allowed his rookies to play all throughout, even during the crucial stages of the game.
“The rookies really showed very good attitude during the game. Natuwa pa nga si (IPEA Director) Father (Ermito) De Sagon kasi just like nung sa Dumaguete, we again won the hearts of the crowd,” he said.
Moreover, Santamaria remains unfazed and is still optimistic of the Lady Spikers’ chances this season.
He even noted that the tournament brought the best out of the Volleybelles as the team is now starting to show cohesion in their game.
“We really played bad in the first few games pero nung huli, gumanda na iyong laro nila. Nag-blend na kasi sila. With the combination na ginagamit natin, na tatlong rookies at a time, na-develop iyong fighting spirit ng mga bago,” Santamaria said.
He stressed that the team’s weak points, specifically their service errors, should be polished before the tournament starts.
“Strong point nitong team na ito is once na mag-click itong combination nila (rookies-veterans), it’s hard to stop them. Nung una kasi nagkakahiyaan pa pero ngayon, nag-bibiruan na sila. Naging maganda na iyong performance nila,” Santamaria added.
Sizing up the competition
Aside from UAAP defending champion Far Eastern University, Santamaria said that Intercollegiate champion De La Salle got a lot better with the acquisition of Macasait’s teammate in DLSU-Lipa, top rookie Desiree Hernandez.
“Kinukuha sana natin iyang si Desiree pero hindi natin kayang i-match iyong offer ng La Salle,” he said.
On the other hand, Santamaria noted that other powerhouse teams AdU and University of the Philippines (UP) might not be as strong this season. The Lady Falcons will no longer have its dominant player Pine Estrada, while the Lady Maroons are rookie-laden this year.
Still, he has high hopes with his new recruits and added that Fulo will be given a starting six position, taking the spot vacated by Montessino.
Santamaria also said that relying too much on his rookies does not bother him at all, even though his players might experience some jitters come UAAP time.
“Although experience-wise, talo tayo, pero puro veterans naman ng Palarong Pambansa iyong mga rookies natin. I think, hindi sila magpapadala sa pressure. Nung championship sa Baguio, nakita nila na kaya pala nila iyong mga players na old-timer. Na-boost iyong morale nila,” Santamaria said.
And just like last season, the team remains potent defensively while lacking offensive firepower, which Santamaria hopes to get from his rookies.
He likewise added that they would approach the tournament and take it one game at a time, and try to win as many games as they can in the first round.
“Kasi parang turning point nung mga bata iyan. Habang nananalo sila, lalong lumalakas ang loob nila. We’ll try to beat La Salle sa opening day. After that, we will look at the other teams and see kung sino pa ang malalakas,” Santamaria said.
As for their chances this year, Santamaria expects that his players will display the same form that they showed in Baguio.
“Kaya naman natin. Basta kung ano ang nilaro nila sa Baguio, kung ganon pa rin ngayong UAAP, malaki ang chance nating magtuloy-tuloy,” Santamaria said.
On the other hand, Racaza said that it’s beyond talent or skills that will probably make them formidable this year.
“Pinakamalaking factor iyong bonding namin sa isa’t-isa. Dahil sa enthusiasm nila, nai-inspire nila kami,” Racaza said. Dexter R. Matilla
