UST Golden Tigresses Journey to UAAP Season 86 Finals
Back in the UAAP women’s volleyball finals after another ouster of mighty La Salle, big-hearted UST yearns to change the ill-fated ending of its Season 81 title pursuit.
Memorable Victory
On May 5, 2019, the UST Golden Tigresses eliminated the La Salle Lady Spikers from the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball Final Four to clinch a finals spot. Five years later, to the exact day, the newest batch of España stars paid tribute to that momentous occasion in the best way, staging another ouster of the mighty Taft towers in five sets and booked a finals return trip in Season 86.
Underestimated Contenders
Widely accepted as the third-best title contender behind La Salle and NU before the season began, the short-statured, yet big-hearted Tigresses continued to prove doubters wrong, starting from a historic 8-0 romp of the elimination round to now being first in line in the two-team war for the gold.
Coach’s Determination
“We referenced that 2019 story, where history repeated itself, but we want to change the final result, we will force ourselves to do that,” said Tigresses head coach Kungfu Reyes in Filipino.
Outstanding Performance
Sure enough, the new-age UST’s hard work was on full display against experienced La Salle, as rookie MVP candidate Angge Poyos continued her exceptional first-year tear with a game-high 28 points.
Team Unity
“I’m so honored to be the captain ball of this promising team,” said Pepito, who put up her usual defensive numbers of 18 excellent digs and 16 excellent receptions.
Looking Ahead
With the other side of the finals equation still bearing question marks after FEU rolled over twice-to-beat NU with a stunning sweep, UST now has extra time to scout the opposition, further fine-tune its championship-level plays, and most importantly, rest its weary stars for the last battles ahead.
“What you see in the game, we do that and repeat that every day. No matter how other keep saying we just get lucky, we know we work to have luck on our side.”