The UAAP champion coach wants to instill the hunger with the Cargo Movers.
Over the course of five sets, coach Regine Diego kept telling the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers to be aggressive against the PLDT High Speed Hitters.
It was the second set. The squad in yellow already got the first frame and they were up 14-8 in Set 2. But their opponents quickly made four points, with Mika Reyes' emphatic block.
Regine Diego had to call for a timeout.
"Kailangan natin magmadali," the new F2 Logistics coach told her players. "'Di pwedeng naghihintay sa kalaban. Tara, kunin natin 'tong next point."
New acquisition Myla Pablo heeded the call to bring her team up 15-12, and eventually snatched the set 25-21. F2 only needed one more set to win their first match of the 2022 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.
But PLDT was not about to give up without a fight. Coach Rald Ricafort made sure Pablo was not about to score any more points. The High Speed Hitters went up to 11-5 in the third set.
"'Di niyo pwede ibigay 'tong set na 'to," Diego warned. "You cannot afford [it]. It's very hard. 'Di tayo mabilis eh, kailangan natin kunin 'to."
At the later half of that frame, the returning Cha Behag hit the ball for F2, followed by another by Myla Pablo. Twice they were saved by PLDT libero Kath Arado, with outside hitter Mean Mendrez even diving to keep the ball alive for the High Speed Hitters.
F2's Ivy Lacsina was there for the spike, but former Best Middle Blocker Dell Palomata denied her. No one got there in time to save the ball for the squad in yellow. PLDT went up, 18-10.
Diego once again had to call for a break.
"Kailangan dire-diretso kayo, 'di kayo pwedeng mag-stop, 'Ay nakuha yung palo'" she said during the huddle. "Don't stop, diretso lang. Diretso. Be aggressive."
PLDT won the third set, 25-14.
By the time the High Speed Hitters were up 22-13 in the fourth, Diego took on a sharper turn. "Kayo na ang problema," she said. "Walang ginagawa 'yung kalaban niyo. Nakatayo lang sila, pumupunta 'yung bola sa kanila. Kasi 'di niyo gusto."
"You have to want this. 'Di ibibigay sa inyo 'to. You have to want this."
It took the F2 Logistics Cargo Movers a fifth set to want the win, with Kim Kianna Dy taking over with a total of 17 points.
"Feels like a championship," the new coach admitted to the media after the match. "At least we saw what we need to train more, kung saan kami nag-lack, kung saan kami magaling."
Diego, who led the National University Lady Bullpups to a 14-0 sweep in Season 82 of the UAAP, told the media she picked up on a certain tendency among the squads when they get the lead, "Lahat ng teams, may attitude. Hinihintay muna nila ma-challenge bago sila lumaban."
"We have to make a change in this team na kailangan kuha na agad. 'Di pwedeng maghintay ng maghintay."
But it wasn't all bad news for F2. They did pick up the win after all.
"Nakita ko kung gaano katapang players ko," PVL's only female coach added, noting the bond she had with team captain Aby Maraño and Cha Behag, "I trust they know what to do. They're mature already. So tama ang napili ko sa crucial points, because I know magli-lead sila ng maayos ng team."
"I'm happy I have so many leaders in my team now."
Behag, who chipped in three points in her PVL debut, was quick to deflect the praise, "Ang dami pa naming lapses na kailangan ma-improve."
Before the start of the conference, captain Aby Maraño expressed how happy she was to have Myla Pablo in the team to reinforce their wings. The two-time conference MVP rewarded that trust with 21 points coming from 20 attacks and an ace in her F2 debut.
"Kailangan 'di lang si Ate Aby yung mag-lead sa team. Kailangan ikaw mismo mag-lead sa team mo para manalo," she said.