The Letran Lady Knights swept the elimination round after sweeping the San Beda Lady Red Spikers on Sunday. And, as usual, the Lady Knights got contributions from pretty much everyone, including Leonilyn Padilla, who has been playing well this season with her expanded role.
After the match, the sophomore couldn’t help but thank the Letran coaching staff, led by rookie coach Mayeth Carolino, for trusting her enough to give her more playing time in Season 101 of NCAA women’s volleyball.
“Actually malaki po talaga [‘yung mga pinagbago sa laro ko] kasi parang nung last season parang wala po akong playing time and wala po akong experience talaga sa paglalaro,” Padilla told Rebanse in an exclusive interview. “Kaya super thankful po talaga ako kay [assistant] coach Aleksi [Lahteenmaki] kase binigyan niya po ako ng playing time po talaga sa loob ng court.”
Padilla also praised the coaching staff’s willingness to give the players freedom while also keeping things in perspective.
“Super bait po talaga sila. Parang may freedom of will po kami na gawin po lahat ng ginagawa namin,” Padilla added. “Wala po talaga silang strict na rules, parang hinahayaan po lang nila kami, and ayun po thankful din po kami sa kanila.”
Continuous Improvement Is Key, According to Leonilyn Padilla
The former Adamson Baby Falcon also shared that one key to Letran’s unbeaten season so far is the Lady Knights’ continuous improvement not only in skills, but also in mindset.
“Ang na-describe po namin is parang ang laki po talaga ng improvement hindi lang po sa skills but also sa mindset po namin kase lahat na po kase kami may skills na po. Pero parang ‘yung laban na po ito is pang kalooban na po talaga,” Padilla explained.
Now, all that improvement has the Lady Knights waiting in the quarters, with their next match either against the EAC Lady Generals or the Lyceum Lady Pirates. And rest assured that Leonilyn Padilla and the rest of the Lady Knights are looking forward to their next challenge and are preparing mentally for it.
“Yung nilu-look forward po namin is maraming improvements pa po not just physically, but also mentally kasi sa quarterfinals parang sa loob na po kasi ‘yung labanan, hindi na po sa skills,” Padilla pointed out. “And sana mag-improve pa po kami na parang kapag malayo na ‘yung kalaban hindi po agad kami bumibitaw.”
It’s been so far so good for Leonilyn Padilla and her teammates. But they know fully well that the challenge is only getting bigger.
