One of the main reasons for this was the versatile hitter, Chenie Tagaod. Although they came up short of returning to their usual place in the Final Four, the squad can still call it a redemption season.
"Last season was truly a lesson learned for all of us; we know we have what it takes. I think I learned from what Coach T (referring to Salak) always says about maturity. Even Coach Nolz (referring to interim head coach Manolo Refugia) reminds me, 'Just calm down. You don't need to rush things because we will eventually get them.' We just need to work and do so with patience," shared Tagaod.
Now that she is one of the seniors, she has embraced the responsibility of leading the team with an open heart and wants everyone to be on the same page.
"With Tin (Ubaldo) and Max (Jungco), we always talk about giving it our all. We teach the younger players to work hard during training so that we'll be able to show it during the game. When it comes to adjustments in-game, we eventually do so as we do in practice," said the 21-year-old ace.
Such adjustments on the court were evidently shown in that four-set comeback against UAAP rival University of the East, with scores of 16-25, 28-26, 25-13, and 25-21 on Wednesday. This win saw the Lady Tamaraws complete a 7-0 elimination-round sweep and secure the top spot in the semifinals of the 2023 edition of the V-League—a milestone of utmost significance for the squad.
Tagaod emphasized, "This achievement is important to us. For everything we've worked for, for every hardship we've experienced, everything is slowly falling into place."
"However, it isn't over. We still have a lot to work on."
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