Chyne Saberon of SWU-Phinma spikes the ball in one of their games this season at the USPF gym.
(CDN file)
It’s the unexpected that makes sports great. The Southwestern University (SWU)-Phinma girls volleyball team knows this by heart.
It’s because the Baby Cobras had to go through the eye of a needle before forging a championship showdown with the University of Southern Philippines Foundation (USPF) in the F2 Logistics Cesafi girls volleyball tournament.
SWU-Phinma found itself in a world of trouble early in the semifinal round after losing its opening assignment to USPF, putting the Baby Cobras a loss away from being eliminated.
To make things worse, SWU-Phinma’s next semifinal assignment was against the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R), which it last beat on Oct. 11, 2015.
But instead of giving up, the Baby Cobras refused to fold up and displayed heart, grit and determination to stun USJ-R before blasting the University of Cebu to make the finals for the first time since it won the crown in 2015.
SWU head coach Roy Ulan is hoping his girls could carry the momentum this weekend when they gun for their second crown in league history.
“As a coach, I’m really happy and satisfied with what the girls are showing this season,” said the sophomore head coach Ulan.
Ulan added that the team’s communication inside and floor defense would play a crucial role in their finals series against the Baby Panthers, a team which has dramatically improved this season.
“The aggressiveness of the players on defense and the preparation for the game will really help us against USPF. This was really my expectation that we make it to the finals and now we are here, everything will just depend on the hard work of the players,” Ulan shared.