Could be better
La Salle has built a perfect 9-0 record and kept its pursuers at bay in the race for Final Four berths in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
This gives coach Ramil de Jesus the luxury of plotting ways to get the Lady Spikers to raise the level of their game and correct flaws that might come back to bite them when the margin for error grows really slim.
And after turning back University of Santo Tomas, 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 25-14, on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum, De Jesus saw several things to work on, after the Lady Spikers tripped in the second set and fell behind by eight late in the third before regrouping to regain momentum.
“Throughout the first round, teams have already seen how we play and who our main scorers are,” De Jesus said. “Sometimes the players lose confidence when opponents control them. I told them, if you’re one of the main producers, expect teams to study you and try to stop you. So you can’t lose confidence.”
“You have to build on what you learned in the first round. You can’t rely on just one way of playing. You have to keep improving and find new ways to play that opponents won’t expect,” added the 12-time UAAP champion coach.
One player checked to start the second round was team captain and leading scorer Shevana Laput, who was limited to 10 points on an 8-of-39 attacking clip in their four-set win over Adamson last week.
Maturity
Laput bounced back and powered La Salle’s strong third-set comeback to finish with 14 points from 11 kills, two blocks and an ace.
“There’s always going to be ups and downs, but as an athlete, it’s how you bounce back, the perseverance,” said the Filipino-Aussie opposite spiker.
Laput’s leadership and Angel Canino’s 17-point outing helped the Lady Spikers overcome their struggles against the Tigresses. Shane Reterta also stepped up with 10 points and 15 excellent receptions.
“It was very much a battle of endurance, who wanted it more, who could last the longest in terms of positive mindset and aggressiveness,” Laput said.
De Jesus lauded the maturity that his Lady Spikers have shown after nine games in the season, despite the challenges they faced.
“My players are mostly seniors, and they’ve matured through experience. Some have even played internationally. They help guide the team and have learned from past mistakes. When we get into pressure situations again, it’s about being used to that pressure and staying composed,” said the La Salle coach.
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