‘KAILANGAN MAGING MATAPANG,’ SAYS BABY FALCONS COACH AHEAD OF BEST-OF-THREE FINALS
The Adamson Baby Falcons ended round two of the UAAP Season 85 Girls’ Volleyball Tournament with a five-set loss to top seed Nazareth School of National University, 18-25, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 13-15, Thursday at Paco Arena.
With the final frame going down the wire, it would have been an expected reaction from the San Marcelino squad to cry their hearts out as they came close to ending the opponents’ undefeated run.
However, at the final buzzer, the Baby Falcons were beaming with pride and hope as they gave each other a pat on the back for pushing NSNU to the limit.
This is a sentiment Adamson head coach JP Yude shares with his girls.
“I appreciate all the effort ng mga bata. Pinakita naman nila na they did their best kaya sa dulo, wala silang regrets. Kinapos lang talaga. At least ngayon, alam naming kaya namin,” he told Akari Sports.
Despite a minor finger injury she incurred last Tuesday, setter Chen Cuenca played efficiently as she was once again at the helm of Adamson’s offense.
While her first option continued to be team captain Shaina Nitura, Cuence also activated middle blocker Eloi Aljibe and opposite Athea Aposaga to keep NSNU’s defenders guessing.
The matchup may have been non-bearing for both squads as they are already set to meet in the finale starting on Thursday March 16, but the Baby Falcons will be heading into the next round with even more confidence.
“Sa una nakikita nila NU malakas. Sabi ko sa kanila palaging malakas ang NU. Ano’ng kailangan natin gawin? Magtiwala sa sarili. Kaya nakakuha sila ng kumpyansa,” Yude said.
“Lalong tumaas ang confidence ng mga bata kasi nakikita nila ano pang kaya nila,” he added.
Facing a team that has a spotless record in the finals, the Baby Falcons will have to pull all the stops and contribute both on offense and defense in the best-of-three series.
Sharing Adamson’s mindset, Yude closed by saying: “Be strong and courageous. Kailangan maging matapang tayo.”
