F2 Logistics head coach Regine Diego takes full responsibility for her team's meltdown against Petro Gazz that cost the Cargo Movers an outright semifinal berth in the Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference.
Diego felt that she fell short of making the necessary adjustments in the crucial stretch of the tightly-contested fifth set as F2 Logistics suffered a stinging 25-20, 22-25, 12-25, 35-33, 9-15, defeat in Pool B Thursday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
The Cargo Movers saw their three-game winning streak snapped and their entry to the semis stalled.
F2 Logistics, Petro Gazz and Cignal are in a three-way tie on top of the pool standings with identical 3-1 win-loss records, making the race for the two slots at stake for the next round even tighter.
"All in all, I'm going to blame that game on me. It's me. There are so many things that I should have adjusted but I did not. It's just me. I mean the players are doing the best that they can," Diego said.
The Cargo Movers struggled in form after taking the first set. F2 Logistics forced a deciding set after outlasting Petro Gazz in the extended fourth frame that lasted 51 minutes.
Diego's wards took a 4-0 lead in the fifth set but lost their composure down the stretch as the Angels won three challenges in the frame marred by long lulls and confusion on calls.
F2 Logistics' defeat came two days after an exhausting five-set escape over Choco Mucho.
"Maybe mentally they have yet to recover but mostly, yah, it's me. Don't bash the players, it's me guys. I mean, I'm still on a learning curve, I'm new into this," Diego said.
"Let's give the kids a chance to recover because that game the day before was exhausting for all us, even for Choco Muho. It's me. Bash me, not the girls. The girls are doing well."
Diegon admitted that the team's morale is down but also acknowledged the lessons learned in the loss.
"I told them that we can't win everyday. There are humbling things that we have to accept and things to learn. We have lapses to address. We mental problems during games that we need to work on," she said.
"There are so many things to learn and we have to learn from this loss. We have to learn from the wins. It's really a process."
The Cargo Movers close their elimination round campaign on Tuesday against winless Foton.