Orcullo remains proud of Sta. Lucia's resiliency

ILOCOS NORTE -- Sta. Lucia head coach Eddieson Orcullo said they missed their Premier Volleyball League Open Conference semifinals opportunity due to poor service receive but he remained proud of the team's mental toughness.

The Lady Realtors received a rude farewell with a three-set loss to Myla Pablo, Ria Meneses, and the Petro Gazz Angels on Thursday at the PCV Socio-Civic and Cultural Center here in Bacarra.

After winning four straight games to keep itself in contention, Sta. Lucia dropped its most important match of the conference, falling short for a final spot with a 5-4 record.

"Sa amin siguro siyempre unang una service receive tignan mo naman kanina medyo sablay talaga yung crucial moment," said Orcullo after the heartbreaking loss. "Magtatapon ng service, hahabol ng puntos hindi tayo maka-receive.

"Siguro kailangan linisin namin maigi, bukod sa service receive, yung block. Kasi sa ibabaw pa lang kung makakaatake kami sa block di na namin kailangan dumipensa."

Despite falling short, Orcullo was proud of the Lady Realtors for showing resilience after a 1-3 start and mental toughness in the Laoag bubble.

"Siyempre alam natin ang hirap ng bubble. Siguro yung mental toughness masasabi ko na napanghawakan namin yun kasi kita mo naman yung previous games namin galing kami sa 1-3 tapos naging 5-3," he said. "Yung tipong kumapit kami sa kailangan namin ng panalo makikita mo naman yung bata talagang nagtiyaga."

The Sta. Lucia coach said they will keep the core of MJ Phillips, Mika Reyes, Jovie Prado, Jonah Sabete, Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Djanel Cheng, and Dell Palomata.

He vowed to polish their team cohesion to bounce back stronger next conference.

"Walang gagalaw. Yun pa rin naman. Kailangan linisin lang," Orcullo said.

"Siguro ganun talaga kailangan bumalik muna kami sa gym para makapagensayo ulit. Yun ang pinaka the best."

For now, the Lady Realtors can't wait to reunite with their families.

"Ngayon pag uwi kailangan magpahinga muna baka kailangan namin tumawid sa tunay na mundo," he said. "Siyempre sa family namin kung ano yung normal na buhay natin na nasa bahay tayo, kasi nasanay tayo na ilang months sa bubble medyo mabigat talaga." (AL)