Rookie Marga Altea continues her shift from middle blocker to an outside hitter for the UST Golden Tigresses.
Throughout her time in UST’s high school volleyball program, Marga Altea was a star middle blocker for the Junior Golden Tigresses in the UAAP Girls’ Volleyball Tournament.
But Altea needed to step out of her comfort zone when she joined the seniors’ team in UAAP Season 87. As a college rookie, Altea was tasked to shift from her longtime middle blocker position to an outside hitter for the Golden Tigresses.
“Syempre, mahirap po talaga ‘yun, since pag middle hindi naman siya masyadong defensive na parang may receive talaga! Kaya grabe sa training, kayod po talaga, na kahit nahihirapan na, trabaho lang talaga kasi wala naman dadatnan pag ‘di nagtrabaho,” the former UST juniors’ captain told reporters on Wednesday after UST’s 25-11, 25-23, 23-25, 25-12 win over the UP Lady Maroons.
Along with the learning curves were the injuries to Xyza Gula and Jonna Perdido, two key outside hitters in UST’s UAAP Season 86 finals run, which added some more pressure to Altea’s transition period.
“Syempre nung una mahirap kasi mas madami pong responsibility, pero ‘yung una kong ginawa is kailangan ko tanggapin na ililipat ako sa ganong position tsaka trabaho lang po,” Altea reflected.
From the looks of it, Altea is slowly settling into her role as a wing spiker early into the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, averaging 8.2 points as part of the Tigresses’ starting lineup.
The rookie finished with nine points against UP on Tuesday, built on four attacks, two blocks, and three service aces in the winning effort. For her, it’s the product of having a solid support system in España, one that always gives her confidence to face the challenges of a positional switch head-on.
“Grabe po ‘yung doubt ko po sa sarili ko, kasi syempre mahirap talaga pag galing middle tas [outside], pero parang nakikita o nafe-feel ko na grabe ‘yung tiwala sakin lalo pag si Coach Kung Fu [Reyes], na hindi ko na po alam kung ano ‘yung nakikita niya, pero nakaka-inspire lalo na mas galingan ko pa ‘yung performance,” said Altea, who led UST to a bronze medal finish in the Season 86 Girls’ Volleyball Tournament.
Altea has also received support from none other than Eya Laure, her idol who also inspired her to wear the Tigresses’ iconic jersey number 8.
“‘Di pa po kami masyado naguusap pero nung Japan po kasi, parang ‘yung timing ko po and sa defense, tinutulungan niya po ako kung paano ayusin ‘yung timing ko po,” Altea said, referring to UST’s Japan training camp in the offseason.
With UAAP Season 87 starting to heat up, Marga Altea vowed to work harder for the Tigresses in order to complete her shift from a star middle blocker into a full-blown outside hitter in the collegiate ranks.
“Kailangan pa lalo magsipag sa training kasi hindi naman po super satisfied pa sa performance, and alam ko naman na since collegiate level, mas malaki po ‘yung demand ng skills kaya kailangan ko pa po magsipag,” she said.
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.