AFTER a two-year absence, the UST Lady Spikers returned to the Shakey’s V-League without their usual all-Filipino lineup. They are parading a guest player in Thai standout Utaiwan Kaensing. Here’s how some Thomasians view the presence of the new “Thai-gress.”
“She may increase the level of play for UST because she has greater experience. It could also be a motivation for them to do better in their games or let the Thai import to be the center of attraction.”
– Kim Lo, UST Growling Tigers
“Being a Thai national player, Utaiwan brings a higher level of play to the Filipinos in the roster, and the current players are feeding on that higher level of play. On the issue of the Filipino players being dependent on her, it’s all up to the statistics. If UST is winning with Utaiwan being the highest scorer, then they are being dependent.”
– Anthony Andrew Divinagracia, former Varsitarian editor and now TV5 segment producer
“Malaki talagang tulong si Utaiwan sa atin, lalo na sa opensa at depensa.”
– Giovanni Ona, Tiger Sox 1st baseman
“Okay naman ’yung performance niya kahit ‘di siya magalaw, pero ‘yung palo talagang solid. Hindi naman nagiging dependent mga players sa kanya, since beterano na rin sila, lalo na si Balse.”
– Efren Corpuz, security guard
“Sa tingin ko hindi naman nagdedepende kay Utaiwan, but she is one hell of an attacker and blocker sa tangkad niyang ‘yun. Nakadagdag siya sa lakas ng defense ng UST dahil sa experience niya sa national team ng Thailand.”
– Christian Nariz, Journalism junior
“They don’t need a Thai import to win their games because they’ve always had the skills. The import will motivate them to prove something to their fans.”
– Matthew Jayson Sinnung, Nursing junior
“With the comeback of UST from its two-year hiatus, Utaiwan, I must say has helped the team big time. As a second stringer of the Thai national team, her abilities as a middle blocker have helped the team defensively.”
– Heather Sarona, Journalism junior
“Teamwork still matters because volleyball is a team play. Kahit wala namang import, the more important thing is they have teamwork. I’m positive that they will take another championship crown.”
– Krisha Carayag, College of Education alumna
“It’s a good thing that they have a new import to improve the quality of their play but it doesn’t mean that they will depend on her. Meron pa naman silang Ortiz, Dimaculangan at Balse to score. Kahit naman wala kaya pa rin naman nila mag-champion.”
– Jerrod Rivera, Chemical Engineering junior
“UST can do better even without a Thai import, but nonetheless, she helps them to become more competitive. But still, UST has to play the same way they have playing since the start of the conference. Dapat ‘di sila maging confident and complacent.”
– Rocky Parreno, Sociology junior
