COURAGE has been mentioned time and time again through National U's UAAP Season 88 run, and yet, after Game 1 of the finals, it echoed louder than ever.
When Bella Belen pointed out that it was tapang that was lacking for the two-time defending champions in their two elimination round matches against La Salle, it felt like it was already a lesson learned.
But after a straight-sets loss to the yet-unbeaten Lady Spikers in the title series opener, Arah Panique found herself saying the same thing, but this time, with much more urgency.
READ: La Salle leaves no doubt in taking Game 1 vs National U
“May mga kulang kami na kailangan naming pagtrabahuan pa sa training namin, especially yung depensa namin,” Panique admitted to SPIN.ph, after they ceded 47 attacks on 29-percent efficiency.
“And yung tapang na maipanalo yung game, yun po yung naging kulang namin,” she added, though she ended with 15 attacks and three blocks of her own.
It wasn’t exactly a letdown from the onset. In fact, NU started strong, seemingly ready and raring.
But as the match wore on, something just kept slipping away.
“Maganda naman po yung start namin, pero hindi namin makuha-kuha. Kinapos na naman po kami sa panapos,” Panique said, as they kept close with La Salle only to lose steam near the end of each set.
That’s where the absence becomes most evident - not in how a team starts, but in how it finishes.
The courage that the former rookie-MVP talked about wasn’t just about swinging harder or diving lower. It was about holding ground even when momentum began to tilt - the way Belen and Co. did in their glory days.
Even more telling was how Panique shared that their preparation had a lot of room for improvement.
“Aminado naman kami, hindi maayos yung training namin. Nasa sa sarili din po kasi namin yung problema kung paano namin dalhin yung sarili namin,” she admitted.
One last cry
Still, it ain't over 'til it's over, as the Lady Bulldogs get one more shot to stay alive and perhaps, show that La Salle is vulnerable.
“Nire-remind ko lang sa sarili ko na kailangan kong tapangan, kailangan kong mag-step up,” Panique stated.
The opposite hitter tried to summon it on her own, but courage, in the way National U needs it now, isn’t meant to be pushed forth all alone.
Because the real weight of Belen’s words isn’t in repeating them, it’s in proving that they’ve been learned.
The Lady Bulldogs know full well what's been missing against their modern-day rivals.
The question now is whether tapang finally makes its presence felt - not just at the start, but at the end, where it has always mattered most.
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