NEW Chery Tiggo coach Clarence Esteban would have wanted his first game at the helm to be under better circumstances.
Esteban on depleted Chery Tiggo
Instead, what he had was an undermanned squad for the Crossovers as they played their opener in the 2022 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference.
"Ang laking kawalan ng mga dapat na nakalagay na tao, so yung palitan ng tao namin sobrang limited lang," he rued on the heels of his side's straight-set loss to Choco Mucho on Saturday.
Already losing Dindin Santiago-Manabat to an ankle sprain for this conference debut, Chery Tiggo played with a depleted lineup as it missed the services of Buding Duremdes, EJ Laure, Alina Bicar, and Justine Dorog due to health and safety protocols.
It was a tough blow for a Crossovers crew which wanted to rise up from their eighth-place finish in the Open Conference.
"Last na kuha namin ng test, doon pa kami nagka-alaman na meron sila," shared Esteban. "Every training naman nagte-test kami para malaman kung sino ang meron, pero itong last na isa-submit talaga namin, doon pa kami nagkaroon ng ganoong sitwasyon. Sana maging ok na yung lagay nila ngayon."
The mentor even expressed doubts on the quartet's availability for Chery Tiggo's next match against PLDT on Tuesday.
What Esteban can latch on, though, is how resilient those who remain are in keeping the ship afloat for the Crossovers.
"Talagang kahit wala sila, kaya nga kami nagpa-practice ng mga pamalit. Lahat sila deserve na pumwesto, meron lang talagang umaangat at meron sa ilalim, pero lahat naman kaya nilang gampanan. At least naka-ready kami sa lahat ng sitwasyon," he said, with Mylene Paat being the lone bright spot with her 10 points.
"Kung ie-evaluate ko, ok naman ang galawan namin. Nag-improve naman yung team compared sa simula. Nandoon yung galaw, pero yung consistency lang medyo nawawala kami kasi medyo bumibigay kami sa consistency ng laro."
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