UP’s new head coach Benson Bocboc acknowledged that his Fighting Maroons were put off by the big leagues to start UAAP Season 87.
UP head coach Benson Bocboc attributed his team’s near meltdown against the UE Lady Warriors to first-game jitters, saying that his rookie-laden team withered under the bright lights of UAAP Season 87 at the Mall of Asia Arena on Saturday.
After squandering a 2-0 lead and a match point in set 3, the Fighting Maroons were almost drubbed in the winner-take-all fifth set, when they were chased from being up, 8-2, to a 13-all deadlock, two points away from a disastrous start to their campaign in Season 87.
[RELATED: UP Fighting Maroons survive 11-strong UE Lady Warriors to win 5-set thriller in UAAP Season 87 opener]
For Bocboc, who is handling the Fighting Maroons for the first time in the UAAP, he said that there were a lot of factors contributing to the result — most of which had to do with his team’s mentality.
With rookies like Kianne Olango experiencing their first match in a venue as big as the Mall of Asia Arena, Bocboc said that it was difficult for them to tap into their full potential.
“Di ko masasabi [na yung] culture [yung dahilan]. Masasabi ko yung venue. Yung venue, marami sa kanila first time maglalaro sa MOA. Napakalamig ng venue. So hindi natin alam. Wala naman excuses no, pero may mga factor na kailangan natin paghandaan at masanay pa. So, hindi ko nakikitang kultura eh,” said Bocboc after the game.
“Lagi naman silang palaban eh. Yung bandang dulo, makikita natin yun more pa. So, yun lang nakikita natin. Mag-adjust lang kami, mas mabilis, tapos lahat ng players na off the bench, maging ready lang lagi,” he added.
Benson’s UP team was already at match point in the third set, when they were ahead, 24-23, after an Olango attack. But with the Lady Warriors surging, having fought back from a 15-20 hole, UE ended the set on a 3-0 run, punctuated by a Riza Nograles attack to deny UP of a quick win.
After that, the Fighting Maroons were caught in the back foot which meant that for Bocboc, his players weren’t performing like they wanted to win. Rather, the team relaxed especially after going up, 2-0.
Thankfully for Bocboc, and the rest of the UP community, the Fighting Maroons regained their bearings in the nick of time, with holdovers Nica Celis and Niña Ytang scoring the last two points to hand the Fighting Maroons the win.
“Tingin ko kalmado sila from first set to fourth set eh, kaya kami umabot ng five sets. Kung mainit na sila at lumaban na, tingin ko mas nakuha nila ng mas maaga. Nakita natin yung spirit nung fifth set, gusto na nila, nanggigil na," he said.
"Pero hindi natin nakita nung mga previous na sets. So naga-adjust pa talaga lahat, di pa natin alam mae-expect. Yun lang, ang next natin is maghahanda lang sa mga susunod na laban,” Bocboc added.