Coach O is keeping the outside pressure off his girls.
"May rivalry pa ba kami?"
Ateneo Blue Eagles coach Oliver Almadro answered a reporter regarding the pressure of the matchup with the De La Salle Lady Spikers on Sunday.
"Sila yata ngayon ang may rivalry with NU [Lady Bulldogs]."
This is how Coach O is trying to keep outside pressure off the Blue Eagles, who got their first win in UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball against the UE Lady Warriors on Wednesday.
"UAAP is different from the other leagues... para kang naglalaro ng 10 sets dito eh, including the pressure, the intensity," he shared.
Instead, Almadro is trying to drill to his players the message of small goals, small victories, and looking at the immediate task.
In fact, the pressure on the Blue Eagles may be coming from their head coach—who spent a considerable amount of time with the squad after their 3-1 win before facing the media.
"The proper mindset going there, mabigat o mahina man ang kalaban, the mindset should be the same," he explained. "If we put in our mind na mabigat ang kalaban, mabigat nga talaga."
An Ateneo-La Salle match-up has always been a draw for UAAP fans, stemming from a rivalry in the men's basketball program.
In Season 84, a blue vs green matchup did occur in the playoffs, when Ateneo fended off the Adamson Lady Falcons and the UST Golden Tigresses to reach the second round of the stepladder semifinals. But a stacked squad with Jolina Dela Cruz, Alleiah Malaluan, and Thea Gagate was just too much for the young Faith Nisperos and Vanie Gandler.
Now that they have some extra help, notably the rookie Geezel Tsunashima, it could be a fight.
"Ateneo-La Salle is always a very good game," Almadro ceded, "Lumalabas 'yung dapat lumabas pag Ateneo-La Salle, and we're happy na mangyayari 'yun."
But with all the players of Ateneo's Fab 5 already graduated and the clean slate during the pandemic, Almadro is tempering expectations about the match.
"We understand La Salle has an intact lineup. They have a good recruitment, kumbaga walang tapon. They have the luxury of all the players they need and they want," he said.
"Kami, eto lang naman. Kung sino pupuwede, kung sino maglalaro ng best nila, okay lang sa amin," Almadro added. "I think my team is not that poor. I have players stacked, that are talented. We just have to put it together."
"We will be preparing and hoping na maging better 'yung best namin going to that game," he added. "We will show them who we are, kung hanggang saan kami abutin."
The Ateneo Blue Eagles (1-1) will be facing the De La Salle Lady Spikers (2-0) on March 5, Sunday, at 3:00 p.m. This will also be shown on One Sports and the UAAP Varsity Channel.