BY Andrei Barrantes
AFTER hitting a snag when La Salle disposed of it in straight sets, Adamson got back into to its groove by taking its frustrations out on University of the East on Wednesday.
READ: Nitura-led Lady Falcons jump on Lady Warriors to get going anew
Team captain Shaina Nitura impressed anew, hammering home 18 points built on 16 attacks and elevating the Lady Falcons to 2-1 in the Season 87 women's volleyball tournament.
While the winless Lady Warriors only mustered five excellent sets in the entire game, resurgent Adamson racked up 19 - all but four of which came from rookie setter Fhei Sagaysay.
And it wasn't just in this game that the former Baby Falcon was solid for the San Marcelino side.
READ: Mordi, Sagaysay also make immediate impact for Adamson
Through three games, she has stood as the steady setter Adamson has been looking for since Louie Romero went pro - and without a doubt, has been instrumental in Nitura’s unbelievable rookie stint.
Sagaysay and Nitura have shared the court since Season 85, when the former wasn't even the starting setter yet.
Once she claimed her spot on the first six, however, she was hailed as Best Setter - while Nitura was Best Outside Spiker - en route to the Baby Falcons' first-ever championship.
Now, the two are still teaming up, this time with the hope of bringing Adamson back to the Final Four for the first time since a surprise bronze medal in Season 85.
As the rookie setter details, her on-court connection with her super rookie spiker took a lot of time and effort to develop - even going through rough patches here and there.
“Kung hindi niyo lang po matatanong, sa lahat po ng nakikita niyo ngayon kung gaano po kami nagko-connect, meron din po yung pinanggagalingan. Dami po naming away, dami po naming diskusyunan lagi about sa setting, (and) sa outside the court din po, marami din po," she said.
"Sobrang dami po naming pinagdaanan, pero we’re grateful po na nangyari yun kasi hindi po kami magiging kasing solid nang ganito kung hindi po nangyari lahat.”
While there is no doubt that Nitura is a one-of-a-kind player, the Lady Falcons are fortunate that she entered the collegiate scene with familiarity with their system and, more importantly, her running mate with whom she has already gone through higs and lows with.
Old ties, new heights
On a more personal note, Sagaysay admitted adjusting to the collegiate level needed a learning curve, but it was thankfully a short one thanks to her seniors.
“Noong kakaakyat lang po namin, natatakot po ako na makisama sa kanila. Pero noong nakasama ko na po sila, nakakabiruan ko na po, lalo po sila ate May Ann [Nique] at ate [Jen] Villegas. Magaan na po ‘yung pakiramdam ko sa kanila,” she shared
“Natutuwa naman po ako sa kanila kasi hindi po sila yung seniors na maldita, masungit, kasi so far, sobrang ganda naman po ng nabubuo naming samahan, lalo sa connection sa seniors po.”
Another key to her being able to make an immediate impact is her familiarity with head coach JP Yude, the very same coach who guided her and Nitura as they made history in high school.
Now, as Adamson sets off for greater heights, its setter-spiker duo’s refined connection is not just a weapon, but a safe and sound foundation for the future.
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