MANILA, Philippines – University of the East (UE) head coach Francis Vicente believes his Lady Warriors have gained the respect of their opponents in the UAAP, even though they still only have one win to show for it in Season 79.

The Lady Warriors sent a warning shot to the league when they took one set off National University (NU) in their first game of the season, though it took them until the end of the first round to book their first victory – a four-set win over Adamson University.

Since then, they have continued to put up decent efforts. They won a set against University of the Philippines and NU in their second round encounters, and Vicente believes they are just missing the "finishing push" needed to add more wins to their tally.

"Ang kailangan nila 'yung leader within themselves eh. Ang ibig sabihin kong leader within themselves, kailangan sa kanila 'yung nage-enjoy sila at the same time, competitive 'yung nasa isip nila," said Vicente.

[What they need is leadership within themselves. They have to know how to enjoy the game and be competitive at the same time.]

Against the Lady Bulldogs last Sunday, UE led 18-11 in Set 2, but fell apart in the final stretch and lost, 21-25. They performed better in the third, seizing a 25-22 victory, but failed to complete a comeback in the fourth set.

• Read: Lady Bulldogs survive another challenge from Lady Warriors

"'Yung finishing push, katulad ng second set. 18-11 na, so may kulang eh. 'Yung push nila, at saka 'yung drive nila to maintain that lead, medyo kulang pa. Medyo nagre-relax, mayroon pang relaxation," he said.

[They need that finishing push. In the second set, we were up 18-11, but we lacked the push and the drive to maintain that lead. They relaxed.]

Still, it is a source of pride for Vicente that for two games now, the Lady Warriors have held their own against an NU team that is competing for a Final 4 spot. The coach also pointed out that his team has rarely gotten blown out in Season 79, unlike in previous seasons where they were barely competitive.

"Sabihin nating 1-9 (ang record), pero makikita mo, hindi na siya 'yung UE na tinatambakan basta-basta," he said.

Moreover, teams rarely dare use their reserves against the Lady Warriors anymore. In previous seasons, a game against UE would have been a chance for other squad's bench to earn much-needed playing time, or even make their season debuts.

Those instances are now few and far between in Season 79, said Vicente, as his first stringers have shown they are capable of hanging with other team's stars.

"Pasulpot-sulpot na lang 'yung ginagamit ang second stringer pag kami ang kalaban," he said. "Puro almost first six. 'Yun ang sinasabi namin ni (UE captain) Shaya (Adorador) noon, na pag ikaw nag-relax sa amin, makakasilat kami."

[They rarely use second stringers against us anymore. Instead, they use their first six. Shaya Adorador has said it before, that if they relax against us, we can surprise them.]

Though the respect from other teams is much appreciated, what UE really wants – and needs – right now are more wins. Vicente said the time that they would have settled for moral victories is now long in the past.

"Panalo na (ang gusto ko). Kasi kaya na nila eh. I believe na kaya nila," he said emphatically.

"Dati, parati kaming 0-3, 0-3, 0-3. Ngayon, dumidikit, nakakakuha pa ng isang set. So ibig sabihin, kaya naman nilang manalo," Vicente pointed out. "Dati, pag tapos ng season, 0-14. Ngayon, first round pa lang, may isang panalo na."

"So hopefully ma-maintain nila ang second round at makakuha pa kami ng isa. Malay mo mambulaga kami."

[What I want is to win. I believe that they can win. Before, we would get swept all the time. Now, we keep games close, and sometimes we win a set. So that means we can win. Before, we would go 0-14. Now, we already have a win after the first round. Hopefully, they maintain this in the second round and get another win.]

UE will try to pull off an upset against defending champion De La Salle University on Saturday.

(For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.)