MANILA, Philippines – After another round-opening loss to the FEU Lady Tamaraws, cracks once again emerged from a frustrated UST Golden Tigresses side in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.
Team captain Detdet Pepito admitted that their team lets frustration get in their way, which has led to lower morale and subpar play.
“One of our problems is our lack of patience,” Pepito bluntly said in Filipino after UST’s 25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 26-24 loss on Sunday, March 23.
“I try to remind my teammates to have self-confidence and in each other because that’s what we are lacking in…’Yung iba, pag nag-error, parang katapusan na ng mundo. (When others commit errors, their feelings equate to as if the world had ended),” she added.
Pepito herself did not put up her usual numbers — FEU targeted other teammates in the first ball, leading to a different offensive attack from UST.
The fourth-year libero only had 12 digs (3 per set) and 7 receptions on 13 attempts, below from her 4 digs per set and 11 receptions per game.
Reg Jurado once again led the team in scoring with 20, while Beth Hilongo submitted a career-best 17 points in the loss as UST became now tied with FEU with a 5-3 record.
“Us players really have been lacking in patience this season,” told Pepito.
“Hopefully, we could work it out, and talk about it, since we’re open in discussing these problems.”
Their coach, KungFu Reyes, agreed, saying that the team lost on breaks of the game, yielding around 2-3 points, which spelled the difference in the second and fourth sets. – Rappler.com