During their very first PVL Finals game against six-time champion Creamline, Maddie Madayag admitted that a resilient Choco Mucho side lacked two things - depth and experience.
READ: Jema proud to see younger sis Mafe blaze own trail at Creamline
"Honestly, kapos lang kami ng tao. Kaya naman labanan si Creamline but ayun nga, meron silang options eh. If hindi effective ‘yung isang spiker nila, merong papalit for them. Kami, kulang pa kami ng tao," said one of Choco Mucho's pioneer players.
Madayag added: "We’re happy — not really happy — but I’m proud of what my teammates showed naman. ‘Yun nga lang, against a veteran team na matagal na nga sa taas, challengers lang kami. Marami naman kaming natutunan sa Game 1 pero sabi ng coaches namin, back to the drawing boards muna kami and prepare for Saturday’s game."
Even after four UAAP Finals trips with Ateneo on top of two championships, playing for a pro league championship hits different for Madayag in more ways than one.
"Iba rin kasi ‘pag professional na finals eh. Sa UAAP, kaya mo pang mag-lousy mistakes. Pero dapat kasi pagdating sa finals, iba na ‘yung awra mo eh. Iba na dapat ‘yung mindset mo coming into the finals.
"Siguro ‘yun ‘yung lamang ng Creamline sa’min, experience talaga," said Madayag.
Looking ahead to their battle for survival in Game Two, Madayag stressed that the Flying Titans will first allow themselves time to process the pain of the initial series loss before honing in on crucial adjustments for Saturday's match.
"Sabi naman ng coaches namin, damdamin muna namin ‘yung loss and everything. Feel it first, but then come tomorrow, trabaho ulit. Pag-aaralan namin kung ano ‘yung kulang namin and kung ano pa ‘yung kailangan naming gawin," Madayag said.
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