It has long been a tradition for De La Salle University to head straight to their training ground, the Enrique Razon Sports Center, after suffering a defeat.
This steadfast commitment to improvement underlines La Salle’s championship mentality.
After clinching their first consecutive wins in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 volleyball tournament with a hard-fought victory against the University of the East (UE), the Lady Spikers knew they had to return to the foundation where championships are forged.
Assistant coach Noel Orcullo acknowledged that despite their 25-12, 23-25, 25-14, 25-17 victory over the Lady Warriors, the team still had areas to improve.
“We might as well head back to Razon.”
The match, that saw La Salle struggle in the second set against the winless Lady Warriors, was far from the dominant performance expected from the powerhouse squad.
“To be honest, the result of the game wasn’t what we wanted to see,” Orcullo added.
“Yes, we won, but that wasn’t the level of play we expected from them.”
Team captain Angel Canino echoed the sentiment, lamenting their slump in the second set, which ended with an attack error from Alleiah Malaluan.
“You could clearly see it in our errors, especially in that second set,” said Canino, who led the team with a double-double performance of 20 points and 10 excellent digs.
Despite their four-set win that lasted one hour and 57 minutes, Orcullo still expressed disappointment.
“We had the lead, but they got too relaxed. It was as if they didn’t respect their opponent, just waiting for UE to make mistakes or give up.”
Fortunately, rookie setter Mikole Reyes, who delivered 23 excellent sets, and veteran opposite hitter Jyne Soreno, who contributed 12 points and seven digs in just two sets, helped the Lady Spikers recover and close out the match.
Still, for a team aiming to rise from the crowded middle of the standings with a 3-2 record, La Salle knows that their high standards must be upheld every single game. That means putting in the work at Razon, where over 300 career victories have been forged under head coach Ramil de Jesus.