After University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) five-set meltdown in their match against National University (NU), senior libero Detdet Pepito had one goal in mind: to stay longer with the Golden Tigresses in UAAP (University Athletic Association of the Philippines) women’s volleyball.
Her teammates heeded her call. They all stepped up to take down Far Eastern University’s (FEU) Lady Tamaraws, 16-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16, in their playoff for the last spot in the Final Four on Saturday, April 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“I really cried over it the night before. I told myself I won’t turn pro, so please, extend our stay here [in UAAP],” Pepito said in Filipino in the post-game press conference.
Ace spiker Angge Poyos dropped a team-high 26 points built on 22 attacks and four blocks, while Regina Jurado and Xyza Gula added 11 and nine markers apiece. Cassie Carballo orchestrated the team with 21 excellent sets.
Pepito delivered another defensive masterclass with 18 excellent digs and 15 excellent receptions on 88.24% efficiency.
Comeback
UST’s victory appeared to be in dire straits early as they lagged behind FEU’s near-perfect volleyball and Congolese Faida Bakanke’s seven-point explosion to drop the opening set, 16-25.
The Golden Tigresses quickly recalibrated in the second frame, bringing in Gula to fortify their floor defense and firepower to go back and forth with the Lady Tamaraws and secure a deadlock, 8-8.
The España-based squad broke through the tie after a 7-2 scoring run led by four Poyos points to overtake FEU, 25-20.
UST continued to ride on their momentum in the third salvo, pulling away quickly from an early standstill. Their attacks from all angles proved to be too much for the Lady Tamaraws, 25-18.
In the fourth set, FEU took control early as their offense and blocking gave the Tigresses a three-point deficit. The gap, however, did not last long as the Lady Tamaraws gave UST the lead with five attack errors.
The black-and-gold squad capitalized on these lapses and never looked back to book the last ticket to the Final Four, 25-16.
After a sluggish opening set, the Tigresses were quick to bounce back by reminding themselves to play with a sense of urgency. After all, it was a death match to determine which team would advance to the stepladder matches.
“We really started slow in the first set. Our coaches reminded us about the need to fight because we’re already here. It was a do-or-die game today, so we instinctively fought to win,” said Poyos.
Lady Tamaraw Gerzel Petallo led her team’s scoring efforts with 14 points built of nine attacks and five blocks. Clarisse Loresco added 11 markers, while graduating setter Tin Ubaldo delivered 15 excellent sets, three points, and five excellent receptions.
Gula sparkplug off the bench
Among the players who stepped up in UST’s victory, one shocked the most: crowd favorite Xyza Gula.
After being sidelined last year due to a tailbone injury, Gula returned to the court this season. Her electrifying spikes off the bench, however, were limited as she struggled to find her groove on both offense and defense.
With Season 88 on the line, the fourth-year spiker delivered nine points, 11 excellent digs, and seven excellent receptions at the right time in the much-awaited breakout game.
The 5-foot-4 sparkplug off the bench made her presence felt right off the bat. She made use of the tall FEU players for her attacks, most notably the game-sealing point from a spike off the fingertips of the blockers.
Gula’s defensive capabilities also helped UST keep the ball alive even after a strong smash from the Tamaraws or a shanked first ball.
In the stepladder battle to reach the finals, UST would have to beat both Adamson University’s Lady Falcons and NU Lady Bulldogs. Once more, they will have to rely on Gula to provide the trigger off the bench.
The Golden Tigresses will battle the Lady Falcons on Wednesday, April 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. CS
