Bacolod Tay Tung’s Nicole Getino (left) hammers a degree off a set by Marishka Alexandria Andrada (No. 13). —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Marishka Alexandria Andrada doesn’t speak about herself after a championship win.
Ask the Bacolod Tay Tung setter in regards to the sweep that just made her team the most effective within the Visayas and he or she’ll speak about everyone else within the constructing—her coaches, her teammates, her manager, her community—except herself.
“Without my teammates, we wouldn’t have won this championship,” she said, still catching her breath after Tay Tung dispatched Casiano Gerona National High School within the NGVL Visayas Regional Finals on March 31.
It’s a refreshing departure from the present sports culture, where athletes construct up their individual brands through self-promotion. But Andrada wasn’t out to merely downplay her role as an indication of humility.
She was stating a fact.
Casiano Gerona, the gritty Cebu champion, jumped the gun on Tay Tung right out of the gates, benefiting from an erstwhile porous defense and making the Thunderbolts’ work for each point early in the primary set.
However the home squad flipped the switch later within the set with Andrada, who was also named because the tournament’s best setter, finding her hitters in time to get better en path to a sweep within the championship match, 25-21, 25-14, 25-18.
Behind Andrada’s 25 excellent sets, the Thunderbolts’ offense hummed to life. Middle blocker Zelver Banguiao paced the Thunderbolts with 17 points off 11 kills, 4 blocks and two aces, while team captain Memielle Letran chipped in 15 points (10 kills, two blocks, three aces). Middle blocker Nicole Getino added 12 points (seven kills, 4 blocks and an ace).
“Through this league, we’ve really learned so much,” Letran said. “The worth of exertions and cooperation has brought us to the championship match.”
Homage to coaches
Team captain Veneice Mabida of Casiano Gerona led her side with 17 points off 14 kills, a block and two aces and took home best open spiker honors. Setter Gilyn Colapano made 11 excellent sets and added two aces.
After the match, Andrada thanked team manager Boy Montalbo, the Tay Tung academic community and the supporters who filled The Hangar’s rafters.
And she or he also paid homage to the team’s coaching staff.
“Our coaches have been our teachers each inside and outdoors the court, not only teaching us volleyball but in addition lifelong lessons,” she said
The Regional Finals brought eight of the Visayas’ best U16 volleyball squads to Bacolod from March 28 to March 31, all of them having earned their seats through qualifying tournaments in Cebu and Bacolod the month before.
Tay Tung now advances to the NGVL National Finals, which can happen from May 3 to May 7 at San Juan, featuring the highest U16 teams not only from the country but from abroad as well.