Andrada flaunts Tay Tung teamwork on way to national finals
Marishka Alexandria Andrada doesn’t talk about herself after a championship win.
Ask the Bacolod Tay Tung setter about the sweep that just made her team the best in the Visayas and she’ll talk about everyone else in the building—her coaches, her teammates, her manager, her community—except herself.
“Without my teammates, we wouldn’t have won this championship,” she said, still catching her breath after Tay Tung dispatched Casiano Gerona National High School in the NGVL Visayas Regional Finals on March 31.
It’s a refreshing departure from the current sports culture, where athletes build up their individual brands through self-promotion. But Andrada wasn’t out to merely downplay her role as a sign of humility.
She was stating a fact.
Casiano Gerona, the gritty Cebu champion, jumped the gun on Tay Tung right out of the gates, taking advantage of an erstwhile porous defense and making the Thunderbolts’ work for every point early in the first set.
But the home squad flipped the switch later in the set with Andrada, who was also named as the tournament’s best setter, finding her hitters in time to recover en route to a sweep in the championship match, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18.
Behind Andrada’s 25 excellent sets, the Thunderbolts’ offense hummed to life. Middle blocker Zelver Banguiao paced the Thunderbolts with 17 points off 11 kills, four blocks and two aces, while team captain Memielle Letran chipped in 15 points (10 kills, two blocks, three aces). Middle blocker Nicole Getino added 12 points (seven kills, four blocks and an ace).
“Through this league, we’ve really learned a lot,” Letran said. “The value of hard work and cooperation has brought us to the championship match.”
Homage to coaches
Team captain Veneice Mabida of Casiano Gerona led her side with 17 points off 14 kills, a block and two aces and took home best open spiker honors. Setter Gilyn Colapano made 11 excellent sets and added two aces.
After the match, Andrada thanked team manager Boy Montalbo, the Tay Tung academic community and the supporters who filled The Hangar’s rafters.
And she also paid homage to the team’s coaching staff.
“Our coaches have been our teachers both inside and outside the court, not only teaching us volleyball but also lifelong lessons,” she said
The Regional Finals brought eight of the Visayas’ best U16 volleyball squads to Bacolod from March 28 to March 31, all of them having earned their seats through qualifying tournaments in Cebu and Bacolod the month before.
Tay Tung now advances to the NGVL National Finals, which will take place from May 3 to May 7 at San Juan, featuring the top U16 teams not just from the country but from abroad as well.
