BACARRA, Ilocos Norte – Sta. Lucia head coach Eddieson Orcullo rued the team’s poor service reception after Petro Gazz ended its Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference campaign in three straight sets.
The Lady Realtors kissed their semifinals hopes goodbye after getting swept by Myla Pablo, Ria Meneses, and the Angels on Thursday at the PCV Socio-Civic and Cultural Center.
It was a heartbreaking farewell for Sta. Lucia after previously winning four games in a row to recover from a sluggish start and put a glimmer hope in their Final Four chances.
What Sta. Lucia needs to work on
Orcullo pointed out to the team’s lethargic service reception for ending its hot streak and crushing their semis hopes in the most important game for the franchise, which finished with a 5-4 record for fifth place.
“Sa amin siguro siyempre unang-una service receive. Tignan mo naman medyo sablay talaga yung crucial moment,” said Orcullo after the loss. “Magtatapon ng service, hahabol ng puntos, hindi tayo maka-receive.”
“Siguro kailangan linisin namin maigi, bukod sa service receive, yung block. Kasi sa ibabaw pa lang kung makaka-atake kami sa block di na namin kailangan dumipensa.”
Although Sta. Lucia fell short, but Orcullo lauded the team’s mental toughness of recovering from a 1-3 start and overcoming the challenges and sacrifices of the month-long Laoag bubble.
“Siyempre alam natin ang hirap ng bubble. Siguro yung mental toughness masasabi ko na napang-hawakan namin yun kasi kita mo naman yung previous games namin galing kami sa 1-3, tapos naging 5-3,” he said. “Yung tipong kumapit kami sa kailangan namin ng panalo. Makikita mo naman yung bata talagang nagtiyaga.”
The Sta. Lucia coach hopes management will keep the core led by MJ Philips, Mika Reyes, Jovie Prado, Jonah Sabate, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Djanel Cheng, and Dell Palomata as they only need polishing to redeem themselves in the next tournament.
“Walang gagalaw. Yun pa rin naman. Kailangan linisin lang,” he said. “Siguro ganun talaga, kailangan bumalik muna kami sa gym para makapag-ensayo ulit. Yun ang pinaka the best.”
As they started to pack up following a grueling PVL bubble campaign, Orcullo said the Lady Realtors will make up for their lost time with their families for now.
“Ngayon pag uwi kailangan magpahinga muna baka kailangan tumawid sa tunay na mundo,” Orcullo said. “Siyempre sa family namin kung ano yung normal na buhay natin na nasa bahay tayo, kasi nasanay tayo na ilang months sa bubble medyo mabigat talaga.”
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