Ateneo de Manila University head coach Sergio Veloso with the Blue Eagles in UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball. UAAP Media.MANILA — Ateneo de Manila University finally had a response to its worst start in the Final Four era of UAAP women’s volleyball, and so did head coach Sergio Veloso, who has been in the hot seat throughout Season 88.
Calls for change in leadership have been at their loudest this year given the team’s abysmal outings, with the Blue Eagles needing to salvage a victory against another cellar-dweller in the University of the East to avoid a winless first round.
READ: Blue Eagles finally in win column after sweeping Lady Warriors
But for the Brazilian mentor, such noise will not help Ateneo turn things around.
“Outside, they have bad words, I don’t care about it, but I respect it,” said Veloso. “Our fans, they talk back, but I just support the players.”
While Ateneo has shown signs of promise ahead of its first win — even becoming the first team to take a set against undefeated De La Salle University — the Blue Eagles have struggled to close out games, something that Veloso himself has acknowledged.
“It’s hard,” he rued. “When I look at the matches, we played very well. But at the end of the sets, we have hard moments to close it. Our team collapses.
However, Veloso noted that overcoming these issues requires experiencing the struggles, emphasizing that patience and experience are more valuable than another coaching change.
“When you think about the short term, everybody wants to win, but you need time,” he said, adding that this approach will also manifest even as early as the second round.
“I’m so confident not only for the future, but this season too. In our second round, we can push more,” Veloso stressed.
In addition, Veloso wants the Blue Eagles to shut out the outside noise and focus on what is within their control, saying this will help address their woes as they prepare for the second round.
“I respect everyone. But the most important for me first are the players, our team. [People outside] don’t know what happens inside,” he said. “So I tell the players: ‘Don’t listen to them.’ Because if you start to listen to other people, to bad energy, it’s not good for you.”
“We stay here in Ateneo, and Ateneo is the most important thing for us,” Veloso added.