NU Lady Bulldogs head coach Regine Diego has urged fans to treat players more kindly after rookie Sam Cantada endured heckling during her UAAP women’s volleyball debut, alongside online backlash from her transfer from Adamson last year.
NU Lady Bulldogs head coach Regine Diego has called on fans to show more kindness to players, highlighting the human side of student-athletes amid the pressures of competitive sports. This comes after rookie hitter Sam Cantada faced heckling during her debut in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament, compounded by online criticism following her transfer from Adamson last year.
The incident occurred after NU's 25-23, 25-19, 28-26 victory over the Adamson Lady Falcons on February 18. In a post-game interview mixing Filipino and English, Diego stated: “It should be all about sports, right? I wish fans are better in this matter because these are student-athletes. I think it’s nice to be gentle to everyone.”
Cantada acknowledged the immense pressure of joining NU in a new era after the departures of three-time UAAP champions Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon. Yet, she delivered a standout performance in her debut against the UST Golden Tigresses on February 15, scoring a match-high 21 points with 14 receptions in a 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24 win. She followed up with 16 points against Adamson.
Diego emphasized resilience, saying: “I always tell them that there are some things we cannot control. We just have to accept and just move forward. We just have to have laser focus in the game because we cannot stop them.” As the fourth head coach for the Lady Bulldogs in the last five seasons, Diego is guiding the team toward a third straight UAAP title. She stressed unity: “I know that this team understands what the needs of the team are and I know that all of the players we have this season will help us out throughout the season. This is going to be a very long season.”
Cantada's ability to tune out distractions has been key, setting a tone of focus and support within the squad.
