Struggling Lady Maroons
What a difference a year makes. I am saying this with a big sigh seeing how the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Fighting Maroons are having it rough and difficult in the ongoing University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.
To date, after four games, the Diliman- based spikers are sporting a 1- 3 record and good for seventh place.
The record pales in comparison to their 4- 0 card at this stage of the competition in Season 79 where they were pacesetting and had the league noticing.
This season the UAAP- dom is still noticing albeit for a different reason as UP continues to rack up the losses.
More telling about it all is that the losses are coming in as bad as they can, all straight- set defeats at the hands of De La Salle, Adamson and Far Eastern University ( FEU), in that order.
Heck, even the Lady Maroons’ lone victory so far — over stillwinless University of the East in their opener — did not come easy as they were forced to a fifth and deciding set after taking a two sets to nothing lead.
To think that UP was on a high last year and narrowly missed the Final Four, one just could not be blamed for wondering hard over what is happening.
Not going to pretend and say I know the goings-on inside the team, but based on what I am seeing when the team plays there is just something wrong.
The bounce and spirit that marked their play last year, I have not seen from the Lady Maroons so far in Season 80.
They are playing “lost” at times and get easily disheartened when things do not go their way.
And when they do get breaks, they are seemingly too caught up with them to a fault in some instances and just lose focus.
Their last game against FEU was I believe representative of how it has been for the UP women’s volleyball team.
In solid position to claim the opening set after leading, 2218, the Lady Maroons just melted down in the face of the FEU charge back and lost the set, 25- 23.
In the second set, I expected UP to play with more sense of urgency after what had happened to it previously but instead saw it further fizzle out, losing, 25-12.
By the third set it was obvious that the Lady Maroons just did not have anything left to present a tough challenge to FEU, this, notwithstanding, scoring better with 19 points.
I am saying this not because I am losing hope on the team. It is the contrary actually.
With 10 games left in the elimination round I believe there is still time for coach Godfrey Okumu and his team to get their act together and turn things around.
It is time to shape up and play with renewed purpose and drive for things could only get difficult for them moving forward considering the improved tournament parity this season.
As to us UP fans, let us continue supporting our team more so now that it is struggling. Nowhere to go up. Come on, team!