EXPECT University of the East (UE) and Adamson University to go all out to get the “No. 1” printed across their spots in the standings, as the winless teams take the court today at the close of the first round of eliminations of Season 79 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball action at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
And the atmosphere could match that of a championship showdown when the Lady Warriors and Lady Falcons, both groping for form, clash at 2 p.m.
National University (NU) and University of the Philippines (UP), squads that saw their hot starts suddenly turning cold, face each other at 4 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs and Lady Maroons were the erstwhile leaders—with UP notching an unfamiliar 4-0 start—only to lose steam as the season progressed. UP already lost twice in a row for a 4-2 card and NU was beaten in two consecutive matches to go down to 3-3.
UE Lady Warriors, meanwhile, seek to stop the slump before entering the first round and try to repeat what they did last season in beating Adamson, where they pulled off one big win that ended their 58-game losing streak.
Despite going winless, Lady Warriors Shaya Adorador, Roselle Baliton, Judith Abil and Kath Arado have been showing vast-improvement and have been putting up gallant stands against the title contenders.
And that worries the Lady Falcons.
“We both haven’t won a game, but they are still a strong competitor,” Adamson University Head Coach Airess Padda said. “I’ve been watching them, they are tall. They can slow down a lot of the balls coming from the other teams with great hitters. They are tough competitor just like everyone else.”
The American coach couldn’t hide her frustration with her young Lady Falcons, who have not been giving veteran skipper Jema Galanza adequate support.
“We really encourage the girls not to take the next match lightly because we’re not experienced enough, we’re not strong enough and our will to win is not strong,” Padda said.
It’s a similar situation in the men’s competition for UE and Adamson University, which hope to get that elusive victory No. 1 at 8 a.m.
NU (5-1) tries to close the first phase of the eliminations also in the men’s contest with a solid grip of second place when it meets UP (3-3) at 10 a.m.