Tigresses take first step in ‘long, tough road’ to top
Shaq delos Santos knows exactly what his University of Santo Tomas crew needs to do in order to go all the way in Season 88 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
And before elaborating on that, a shy grin and the words “it’s going to be tough” in Filipino came out of his mouth. But he didn’t in any way sound cowed at the task that lies ahead.
“They (Tigresses) are up for the challenge,” Delos Santos said as he took a little time off from volleyball coach’s chores on Monday morning to play in the launch of the UAAP golf tournament at The Country Club. “We all know the possible number of games we would need to win to get there (win the title).
“We’ll be ready to play our hearts out,” he said as he and his Tigresses gun for a win against defending champion National University on Wednesday to get to the semifinals. “We need to win the first of those games first.”
Price to pay
Game time is at 3 p.m. at Smart Araneta Coliseum with a Santo Tomas win completing the semifinal cast and eliminating Far Eastern U regardless of the result of its 1 p.m. collision with also-ran Ateneo.
“This is the price we need to pay for our slow start,” Delos Santos said after opening the season at 0-3. “We are thrust in this position but we are all willing to fight.”
The Lady Bulldogs are currently at No. 2, and a win would give them a long break before playing the winner of the match between the third and fourth seeds for the right to play outright finalist La Salle in the title series.
Semifinal play will be stepladder format after the Lady Spikers swept the eliminations over the weekend after a classic 19-25, 25-20, 25-23, 22-25, 15-10 win over the Lady Bulldogs, who could end up tied for No. 2 at 9-5 with the Tigresses and idle Adamson with a loss to Santo Tomas.
An upset by the Eagles, however, would hasten the completion of the playoff cast, though ranking games could still be held.
A National U win would make the Lady Bulldogs No. 2, the Soaring Falcons the third seed and the Tigresses relegated into a playoff for No. 4 in the event of a win by the Lady Tamaraws against the Blue Eagles. The eventual fourth seed would then battle Adamson in a KO match for the right to play the Lady Bulldogs for the second title series berth.
Angge Poyos, the league’s second-best scorer behind Adamson ace Shaina Nitura, stressed that the Tigresses will need a collective effort to finish the eliminations strong.
