BY Andrei Barrantes
AFTER ringing off four wins in a row, University of Santo Tomas is flexing its muscle in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament.
Sans injured key pieces Jonna Perdido, Xyza Gula, and Kyla Cordora, the Golden Tigresses further cemented their stance at second-place thanks to a four-set triumph over the University of the Philippines.
READ: Streaking UST takes fight out of UP in four sets
Though the usual suspects in Reg Jurado (22 points) and Angge Poyos (21) came to play, the black-and-gold also also welcomed contributions from rookie Marga Altea who turned in her strongest showing yet with nine points off of three aces and two blocks.
Still, chipping in hasn’t been easy for the six-foot spiker, who’s had her statistics go through varying efficiency.
Of course, being shifted from middle blocker to open spiker has been a struggle, to say the least - but it's a challenge she gamely accepts.
“Siyempre po, hindi lang ‘yung skills ‘yung hadlang doon, pati din po yung utak. Yun po yung pinakamahirap doon na itawid na challenge. Kaya siguro mas matatag pa dapat na mindset at mas matapang pa na puso para makapag-perform pa po ako nang maayos,” she acknowledged.
Among the daunting adjustments she had to make with her position change was her timing on both offense and defense, which - she'd be the first to admit - remains her biggest point for improvement.
As she put it, “Iba po yung tempo ng middle tsaka yung tempo ng open kaya minsan, nauuna po talaga ako kasi parang instinct ko na po.”
“Doon po nagtatalo ‘yung sarili ko kasi marami pong doubts. Nakatulong naman po yung mga coaches tsaka po sila ate para malagpasan po yung ganon. Kung mako-compare ko man po, hindi na po siya same [as] nung first game.”
Marga's mentor - surprisingly
With the adjustments she's had to make, Altea has been unafraid to seek help from her seniors, who then constantly provide feedback on her play, as well as the things she need to refine.
But according to the former juniors Best Middle Blocker, her most prominent mentor isn’t one of the top spikers like Poyos or Jurado.
It’s actually libero and skipper Detdet Pepito.
“Siyempre po, nagfi-feedback po [siya] kaya nakikinig po ako lagi sa feedback niya kapag nauuna ako, or mabagal, or ganon,” she shared.
Among all players for the black-and-gold, Altea faces the tallest task of not only having to step up for their injured starters, but also doing so while stepping into her new role.
The good news is she has already accepted that the position she flourished in will no longer be her biggest contribution in the seniors level. And UST is already all the better for it.
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