In the eyes of the University of the East coach Ronwald Dimaculangan it was an “ugly” win, but nonetheless felt relieved they survived the so-called first game jitters.
“It was an ugly win but at least I saw in them the resiliency to get bounce back. From here we’ll try to address our mistakes,” said Dimaculangan after the Recto-based squad pulled off a 31-33, 25-20, 25-23, 21-25, 15-12 win over Mapua in the opening of the Shakey’s Super League 2022 Collegiate Pre-season Championship Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
“We had a shaky start and we were not playing our usual game. We allowed ourselves to play on Mapua’s pace instead of us dictating the tempo,” said Dimaculangan.
It took a 7-2 run for UE to create a comfortable cushion before repulsing a determined Mapua comeback in the Pool A match of the event organized by Athletic Events and Sports Management, Inc. (ACES).
KC Cepada stood out among many UE heroines with 21 points while Lia Pelaga and Von Dimaculangan added 15 and 11.
UE also got huge breaks in the pivotal fifth set when the Lady Cardinals fell into a maze of errors that allowed the Lady Warriors to race to a 14-9 advantage.
But sealing the win proved difficult for UE as Mapua made one desperate attempt.
And they nearly made it as they pulled within 14-12.
Dimaculangan and UE supporters – happy to watch the game at the historic venue – finally heaved a sigh of relief when Hannah De Guzman ran out of luck – her service went straight to the net.
The Lady Cardinals took full advantage of UE’s spotty reception to open a 20-14 advantage in the first set before UE mounted a scorching rally, saving four set points to force at deuce, 24-24.
A see-saw battle ensued to the delight of the crowd before Mapua finally took the first set. UE, however, won the next two sets only to allow Mapua to steal the fourth frame to force a deciding fifth set.
