No sunset just yet
On the eve of their playoff match for the No. 4 seed, the graduating Detdet Pepito turned emotional when she told her University of Santo Tomas teammates that she still wasn’t ready to call it a UAAP career just yet.
“I got emotional after our viewing session last night,” the fifth-year superstar libero said. “I encouraged the team and we had a group hug. I could see in their eyes that they really wanted to help and reach our goal.”
Santo Tomas needed to buck a bum start before getting things in order, so to speak, as Angge Poyos led the charge in a come-from-behind 16-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-16 victory over Far Eastern at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday that gave the Golden Tigresses the final ticket to the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament semifinals.
“Honestly, after the first set, I was shocked,” Pepito continued in Filipino. “It didn’t feel like us. I’m grateful to the coaches for pushing us to wake up and to my teammates for responding and stepping up.”
Pepito, who had 20-of-22 excellent receptions in a five-set meltdown to National University last Wednesday, continued to do her part as a leader and floor defender with 15-of-17 receptions and 18 digs as Santo Tomas advanced to the first round of the stepladder semifinals: a do-or-die match against Adamson on Wednesday at the Big Dome.
The winner advances to the next phase against No. 2 and defending champion National U on May 2 for the right to face unbeaten outright finalist La Salle.
“Thank you, Lord. This season has been really unpredictable; any team can win,” Pepito continued. “I’m just happy and grateful to our coaches for being patient with us, even when we’re hard to handle sometimes.
“I was already begging my teammates,” she said. “I told them I don’t want to go pro yet, so let’s extend our time here.”
Besides Pepito and Poyos, Reg Jurado stepped up with 11 points and 12 digs. Xyza Gula finished with nine points, highlighted by the game-winning kill on top of 11 digs and seven excellent receptions. Avril Bron had eight points, while setter Cassie Carballo dished out 21 excellent sets.
Facing an Adamson side the Tigresses haven’t beaten this season, the two-time UAAP Best Libero hopes to write a different story in the school’s sixth straight semifinals appearance.
“It all starts in training. The coaches always remind us not to doubt (ourselves) or hold anything back,” she said. “From training alone, we should already be giving everything. That will show in the games. We’re taking it one game at a time and hopefully we get through the next one.”
UST coach Shaq Delos Santos also ended his three-game dry spell at the Big Dome this week after losing to NU and his pro team, Cignal, getting swept by Creamline in two games in the 2026 PVL All- Filipino Conference finals.
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