Despite emerging as the top men’s volleyball team in the country, team captain Joshua Retamar insisted that National University-Sta. Elena has yet to reach its full potential.
Moments after ending the Cignal HD Spikers’ reign in the 2022 Spikers’ Turf Open Conference, the 6-foot playmaker said that the Nationals still need to work on a lot of areas in order to be ready for their upcoming title defense in the UAAP Season 85 men’s volleyball tournament.
“Masasabi ko yung team namin nasa 60-percent na kasi sobrang dami pa naming kailangan aralin lalong lalo na sa serve and marami pa rin kaming lapses pagdating sa blockings,” said Retamar.
“Masasabi ko yung team namin pagdating ng UAAP na main league namin, nasa 60-percent so may ilang months na kami na pwedeng mag-training para mabuo namin.”
After drawing first blood last Thursday, NU-Sta. Elena showed and finished the job on Saturday after taking down the back-to-back champions in four sets, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-23, at the Paco Arena.
Retamar, who received his second Best Setter award prior to the match, steered the Nationals’ offense with 20 excellent sets while also hammering down seven points to spearhead the school’s first title since Bryan Bagunas led them to the 2018 Collegiate Conference title.
The setter out of Binan, Laguna also said that this championship will definitely be a huge boost for the team heading into the collegiate season.
“Sobrang saya namin lalo na yung mga bago, syempre kaming mga seniors din syempre sabi nga ni coach galing kami ng pandemic tapos binigyan kami ng chance na mag-laro sa ibang bansa, hindi pa ganun ka-solid yung team namin nun,” said Retamar.
“So dinala namin dito and napapansin namin na may maganda nang (nangyayari) and naa-adapt na namin yung sistema ni coach na pinapagawa niya samin. Ayun, nag-champion kami,” he added.
And up next for the Bulldogs-slash-Nationals is the V-League Collegiate Challenge which begins on Sunday, October 16.
