The University of the Philippines (UP) volleyball teams suffered straight-set losses in their double-header against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws on Sunday, March 8, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Inconsistent performances continued to plague the Fighting Maroons in their outings against the FEU squads, with players and coaches alike attributing their disappointments to muted energies on court.
Tampered rhythm
The UP Men’s Volleyball Team (MVT) struggled to get into sync, suffering another sweep in its match against the FEU Tamaraws, 14-25, 22-25, 26-28.
While team captain Olayemi Raheem rallied State U with 16 points, he said other Fighting Maroons must step up and contribute to the team’s scoring output.
“I’m gonna need my teammates [to] step up now. It’s actually not only me who’s [playing for] UP,” Raheem told Tinig ng Plaridel. “[I] need them to really step up [and I believe] that they can really do it. It’s not only about me.”
Lapses in defense and offense added to State U’s struggle in converting attempts to points, handing the opening set, 14-25, to FEU.
Taking advantage of the Morayta-based squad’s 10 errors, Tommy Castrodes and Milven Francisco powered through to trim their six-point deficit to 21-22, but the second set closed in FEU’s favor, 22-25.
Errors plagued the third set as the maroon shirts committed nine while the Tamaraws committed seven, allowing the UP MVT to extend the match and push FEU to the limit.
Raheem saved two match points, but the Diliman-based squad ultimately could not force a fourth set, 26-28, as Amet Bituin made two consecutive kills to seal the game.
State U’s lapses, especially towards the endgame, hindered the reversal of fate.
“When it comes to the endgame na dumidikit kami, sometimes it really gets so exciting na nawawala kami doon sa routine, doon sa system namin,” assistant coach Hannah Nagtalon said in an interview with TNP.
With two consecutive losses, the Fighting Maroons will go through a mental reset in preparation for their next matchup.
“Going into the UST game, we really need that mental reset and [to] be more objective on how we approach the match,” she added. “It’s just really a matter of reviewing the past games, reflecting on it, and comparing it with the system that we have already put in place and see where the lapses come from.”
Amet Bituin led the Tamaraws with 17 points off 15 attacks and two blocks.
Rammed by the Tams
Despite pulling off a big win against the defending champions National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs on Feb. 28, things were no different for the UP Women’s Volleyball Team (WVT) against the Lady Tamaraws.
Senior Irah Jaboneta found a void in the team’s winning mentality as they also stepped out of the big dome with their heads down, 13-25, 21-25, 16-25.
“’Pag may puso ‘yong laro, posible lahat eh. Pero this game, aminadong wala talaga,” she said.
With their straight-set defeat against the Lady Tamaraws, the Maroon volleybelles failed to ride on the momentum of their reverse-sweep upset against the Lady Bulldogs.
UP’s early crumble was driven by errors, with the Fighting Maroons committing seven compared to FEU’s two miscues.
With a deficit of as many as 14 points, State U attempted a comeback with two points from Casiey Dongallo and an ace from middle blocker Niña Ytang. However, as the Fighting Maroons slowly gained momentum, Dongallo suffered a bad landing late in the first set, prompting team captain Joan Monares to step in and fill her shoes.
Despite the efforts, the deficit proved insurmountable for the maroons, handing FEU the first set, 13-25.
A heated race at the scoreboard ensued for most of the second set, until a 1-4 run courtesy of Alyzza Devosora and Jaz Ellarina swerved the advantage back to Morayta, 21-25.
Errors continued to haunt the maroon jerseys in the third, struggling to convert points from their offensive plays.
Cla Loresco’s five-point performance helped deal the last blow to State U’s hopes at another reverse sweep, 16-25, ending the match in green and gold’s favor.
Monares led Fighting Maroons’ scoring efforts with eight attacks, followed by Kianne Olango and Ytang with six markers apiece.
On the flip side, Devosora topscored the Lady Tamaraws with 15 markers.
Moving forward, Jaboneta later spoke of the team’s need for a resolution towards a stronger winning mentality.
“Siyempre, it’s not that easy,” said the senior. ”Kailangan naming trabahuhin talaga.”
Both squads now look ahead to fleshing out their resolutions in their penultimate Round 1 match against the University of Santo Tomas on Wednesday, March 11, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
