The sophomore duo of Shaina Nitura and Fhei Sagaysay will be spearheading the Adamson charge against Far Eastern on Saturday as the Soaring Falcons try to seal a place in postelimination round play in Season 88 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Teammates since high school and the big reasons why the Baby Falcons won the girls’ crown two seasons ago, Nitura and Sagaysay are hoping to weave their magic once again as this team, which they now headline, will try to make it back to the semifinals for the first time in three seasons.
“I think if you really want something, you’ll find ways to go after it,” Nitura, last season’s top rookie, said in Filipino in the lead-up to their 5 p.m. clash with the Lady Tamaraws. “With the guidance of my coaches, the people around me and God, I’ve learned that if things don’t go my way, maybe there’s a better plan.
“So I just respond well and trust God’s will. That’s what our team believes in,” she added. “If it’s not meant to happen now, then we just have to be patient and wait for the right time.”
The Falcons were in the semifinals the last time in 2023, when Trisha Tubu, now a bona fide PVL star, played her only year in the UAAP.
Running third with an 8-5 record, the Falcons can also push the 7-5 Tamaraws closer to elimination with a win. Far Eastern is tied with idle University of Santo Tomas for fourth spot, with the Growling Tigresses seeing action on Sunday against depleted University of the Philippines.
“It really comes down to who wants it more and who responds better in (pressure) situations,” Nitura added. “For us, what matters is how we respond as a team. We set aside individual goals and focus on helping the team reach the Final Four.”
Sagaysay has been very much a part of Nitura’s dominant UAAP career, being the prolific spiker’s setter since their girls’ division days.
“I’m grateful because we’ve been together since high school. Of course, no relationship is perfect. We’ve had misunderstandings, too,” Sagaysay said. “But we always try to fix things and keep fighting, not just for ourselves but for Adamson and for everyone who supports us.”
To clinch a sweep
Far Eastern, on the other hand, can secure at least a playoff for a semifinals berth with a win, even if the format for the semifinals lies on unbeaten La Salle’s final elimination game on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Spikers seek to complete a 14-match sweep for an outright Finals berth against the National University Lady Bulldogs (9-3), which would trigger a step-ladder format.
The Lady Tamaraws need to win their last two matches, including their final match against the also-ran Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday, to secure a Final Four berth. A split in those games would most likely push FEU into a playoff for the No. 4 spot.
Coach Tina Salak tries to steer her Tamaraws to a third straight Final Four berth with a squad built around Faida Bakanke, Gerz Petallo, Tin Ubaldo and Cla Loresco, who is set to face her Alas teammate Nitura.
“I feel like in our past games, I wasn’t really at my best yet,” said Loresco after scoring a personal season-high 17 points in the Tamaraws’ 25-21, 22-25, 25-19, 25-22 win over the University of the Philippines last Sunday. “I even watched my old games. How I timed my hits, how I served and how I blocked.
“Now, I just need to keep asking guidance from God because He’s always there,” she went on. “But at the same time, I also need to do my part so we can meet halfway.”
“It really comes down to who wants it more and who responds better in those situations. For us, what matters is how we respond as a team. We set aside individual goals and focus on helping the team reach the Final Four, same with the coaching staff,” she said.
Meanwhile, Ateneo and the University of the East clash in a duel of also-ran squads at 11 a.m.
