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La Salle's Kim Fajardo asks fans to give UE's Baliton a chance

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/entertainment/03/20/032017_ls.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Kim Fajardo and Roselle Baliton. <cite>Arvin Lim, </cite><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos"><cite>ABS-CBN Sports</cite></a></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – De La Salle University team captain Kim Fajardo appealed to volleyball fans to give University of the East&#x27;s (UE) Roselle Baliton a chance to prove herself worthy of inclusion to the national team pool.Baliton and national team coach Francis Vicente were the subjects of scorn on social media last week, after the mentor included the 6-foot setter to the 25-member national team pool despite having just recently been converted to the position.Baliton has <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/03/15/17/womens-volleyball-ues-roselle-baliton-shrugs-off-haters-dedma-na-lang">kept her head high</a> throughout the whole ordeal and promised to do her best to live up to the expectations set by Vicente, who also happens to be her coach in the Lady Warriors.On Sunday, after orchestrating La Salle&#x27;s straight sets win over University of the Philippines, Fajardo came to Baliton&#x27;s defense as well.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/volleyball/news/2017/03/19/lvpi-leaning-towards-withdrawal-asian-u-23-participation-23483">READ: LVPI leaning towards withdrawal in Asian U-23 participation</a></li></ul>&quot;Siguro bigyan naman natin ng chance &#x27;yung bata na ipakita kung ano ang meron sa kanya ngayon,&quot; said Fajardo, a two-time Best Setter in the UAAP. &quot;Huwag &#x27;yung puro pamba-bash kasi isa &#x27;yan sa magiging thinking na bata, mada-down siya eh.&quot;&quot;Parang sasabihin niya na ganoon ba ako ka-lampa na hindi ako marunong mag-set, wala akong chance na ipakita kung anong meron sa sarili ko?&quot; she added. &quot;Bigyan natin ng chance.&quot;[We should give her a chance to show what she can do. If we keep on bashing her, she&#x27;ll get down on herself. She&#x27;ll think, &#x27;Am I that bad, that I don&#x27;t know how to set and I can&#x27;t show what I can do?&#x27; Give her a chance.]In a way, Fajardo can relate to what Baliton is going through. Before she became arguably the best setter in the country, Fajardo was first a spiker, and her conversion to playmaker did not come with a smooth transition.When Fajardo first wore the national team colors in 2008 for the Asian Youth Girls Volleyball, she was still growing into the position, and she committed the same mistakes that Baliton is committing now.&quot;Nung RP Youth, nag-set din ako na kaka-convert lang sa akin. Wala din akong alam,&quot; said Fajardo. &quot;Kaka-convert lang sa akin, wala pang isang taon &#x27;yun.&quot;&quot;Naglalaro ako ng international na liga, double (violations) pa ako noon,&quot; she pointed out.[When I played in the RP Youth team, I had just been setting for a year. I didn&#x27;t know a lot about the position yet. When I played in the international competition, I was called for a lot of double violations.]Yet Fajardo developed into a stellar setter, to the point where she was chosen as part of the Philippine Superliga (PSL) All-Star team that represented the Philippines in the FIVB Women&#x27;s Club World Championship last year in Manila.La Salle&#x27;s &quot;KAFtain&quot; is now hoping that Baliton will be given the same opportunity to learn and show what she is capable of.&quot;Gusto niya ipakita eh. Siya naman ang nag-tryout doon. Malay ba natin kung ano ang ginawa niya doon. Huwag tayong maging harang sa kanya,&quot; Fajardo said.[She wants to show what she can do. She tried out. Let&#x27;s not be an obstacle to her.]Fajardo is not the only member of the national team pool who expressed sympathies with Baliton. Last week, Mika Reyes and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas also supported the young setter.&quot;Naaawa ako sa kanya kasi she doesn&#x27;t deserve. Alam naman natin na newbie siya as a setter,&quot; said Reyes.&quot;Ang masasabi ko na lang sa kanya, don&#x27;t waste your time on them (bashers) kasi kung uubusin mo lang &#x27;yung oras mo sa kanila, maii-stress ka lang. Be thankful na lang nag-uubos sila ng oras sa&#x27;yo,&quot; she added.[I feel sorry for her because she doesn&#x27;t deserve the criticisms. We know that she&#x27;s a newbie setter. I would just tell her not to waste her time on bashers.]Maizo-Pontillas, for her part, said: &quot;Wala siyang kasalanan na napasok siya, tapos sobra na nagba-bash sa kanya. Sabi ko, kawawa naman ang batang &#x27;to, bata pa lang, sobrang dami ng bashers.&quot;&quot;Sana, ma-overcome niya ang mga nangyayari sa kanya,&quot; Maizo-Pontillas said.[It&#x27;s not her fault that she got picked, and now she&#x27;s being bashed. I felt sorry for the kid, she&#x27;s so young but she already has so many bashers. I hope she can overcome this.]For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>

De La Salle University team captain Kim Fajardo appealed to volleyball fans to give University of the East's Roselle Baliton a chance to prove herself worthy of inclusion to the national team pool.

De La Salle University team captain Kim Fajardo appealed to volleyball fans to give University of the East's Roselle Baliton a chance to prove herself worthy of inclusion to the national team pool.

La Salle's Kim Fajardo asks fans to give UE's Baliton a chance

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La Salle's Kim Fajardo asks fans to give UE's Baliton a chance

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published Mar 20, 2017 11:26 AM PHT

Read More:

volleyball

Kim Fajardo

Roselle Baliton

national team

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