MANILA, Philippines -- Despite finishing at the bottom of the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament, people should watch out for the University of the Philippines in the coming years, Fighting Maroons head coach Oliver Almadro said.
UP absorbed a 23-25, 25-17, 27-25, 25-22 beating at the hands of the University of the East Lady Red Warriors on Saturday, ending their season with a 1-13 win-loss record.
This is the same finish they had last season.
In spite of this, Almadro said that UP is in “zero year,” and the future is looking bright for the Diliman-based squad.
“I’m always saying that results are not always better than performance. Individually, as I see the statistics of my players on my first season, to their skills in the last season, I guess most of them improved in their percentage in blocks, in attacks, in receives, in digs,” he told reporters.
“As I say, if you get your personal goal, your target, you also won. We may not be there at the top yet, but still, it’s nowhere to go but up for the UP volleyball team,” he added.
In the second round of the tourney, UP brought the fight against tougher opponents, winning at least a set in all but one contest – a straight-sets sweep at the hands of the Ateneo Blue Eagles on March 24th.
Almadro, who earlier coached Ateneo to a championship, admitted that the season was really a “mission and a challenge,” as he reflected on the experience coaching both sides of Katipunan.
“I am thankful for the Ateneo, the blue side of Katipunan, for making me who I am now. And I want to say this also to the Ateneo community, those who supported me, I learned a lot from there. And, I’m bringing that excellence going to the other side, but this time, it is a mission and a challenge,” he said.
“We know that for the longest time, UP is not in a place where it wants it to be. But what’s important is we are going there because of the support and the promise of the UP community, the sponsors and the players that always accept the challenge,” he added.
Nina Ytang, one of the key cogs of the Fighting Maroons, vowed that the team will be exacting revenge next season.
“Expect it next season, we will make it up. I am promising, now we are at the bottom. But, we have nowhere to go but up,” she said in Filipino.
“So, just wait for us next season.”