IT'S not usual for Best Setters to be coming off the bench, especially in their last year of eligibility.
But that's just what's been happening with Lams Lamina and two-time defending champion National U.
During their four-set win over University of Santo Tomas in their season opener, it was Abe Pono who orchestrated the offense for the Lady Bulldogs, for the most part.
Then three days later, it was again the third-year setter who set up the blue-and-gold's sweep of Adamson.
READ: Cantada keeps impressing for NU in clean takedown of Adamson
Was Lamina injured? Was this the start of a seismic shift at setter?
For head coach Regine Diego, though, the answer was far simpler - and it all boiled down to tactics.
“With Adamson lang kasi and with UST. Malaki yung outside hitter or mas magaling si Abe mag-block. Just for now,” Diego stated, stressing that there was no hidden storyline behind Lamina’s absence from the starting unit.
In short, it was matchup-based.
Against teams with strong outside attackers such as Angge Poyos, Shaina Nitura, and Frances Mordi, Diego felt 5-foot-6 Pono gave NU a better defensive edge at the net compared to 5-7 Lamina.
And more importantly, it worked.
As she put it, “So siya muna. And it worked. So why ruin something that is working, diba?”
Rather than framing the decision as a demotion or a passing of the torch, Diego emphasized that both setters remain very much in her plans.
The idea of a “permanent starter,” she said, doesn’t exist in her system.
“We don’t look at it kasi na parang kailangan, ikaw na. Ikaw na yung forever starter. We look at it as sino ang pinakamagandang person for this situation,” the tactitian added.
NU-thing set in stone
It’s a philosophy rooted in flexibility - one that reflects Diego’s broader approach since returning to the UAAP.
Despite the Lady Bulldogs' strong start, however, the coach remains cautious about expectations, repeatedly reminding that this is still a team in the process of growing.
“This is a new team, but we want to play as if we’ve been together for a very long time,” she said.
For Lamina, this means her role isn’t shrinking - it’s simply evolving within a system that values situational advantage over hierarchy, while for Pono, it’s an opportunity earned through fit, not favoritism.
And for Diego, it’s all part of a bigger picture: building a team that adapts, not one that locks itself into rigid roles.
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