Letran Lady Knights’ first-time coach Mayeth Carolino piloted her squad to a ninth-straight win on Sunday against defending champions Benilde Lady Blazers.
Afterward, the 45-year-old mentor shared in an exclusive postgame interview with Rebanse the immense pressure that comes with coaching a team that has made it to the NCAA women’s volleyball finals for the past two seasons.
“Grabe ang pressure dito ah kase galing silang first runner-up back-to-back, ‘di ba? Malaki yung tiwala ko sa mga bata, alam kong kaya nila. Yung puso, tiwala at guide sa kanila yun ang maitutulong namin [coaching staff] sa mga bata,” Carolino told Rebanse.
The team the Lady Knights beat on Sunday, incidentally, was the same one that beat them in those back-to-back finals. And, for a moment, it looked like Benilde would get the better of Letran again and snap their winning streak after going up two sets to one. But the Lady Knights persevered and got the win in the end.
“’Yun nga yung naging problem namin. ‘Yun ang kagandahan sa kanila hindi agad sila bumibigay, so alam nila kung papaano nila i-handle yung ganung sitwasyon,” Carolino added. “Alam nating maraming lapses pero bumabawi din kaagad sila. So, nandoon pa rin yung composure, yung discipline nila para makabangon agad.”
Mayeth Carolino Expects More from Lady Knights
Despite an unbeaten start to Season 101, the 1997 Rookie of the Year and two-time champion expects more from Letran.
“Marami pa, marami pa kaming kailangang i-improve, bawat isa sa amin. Hindi naman kami yung kahit na walang talo hindi kami yung perfect na noh? Hindi kami yung ganun,” she said.
Letran has four more games in the elimination round and is now almost assured of a twice-to-beat advantage come the playoffs. But Mayeth Carolino doesn’t want the Lady Knights resting on their laurels. Instead, she wants them to keep working to get better.
“Marami pang kailangang i-improve sa amin, like ‘yung mga communication namin minsan nawawala rin sila so yun lang ang kagandahan nakakabawi lang din,” she pointed out.
