Finding their roar
The University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses entered the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament with lofty expectations of contending for the title behind a stacked lineup.
But UST hit a rough patch in the middle of the elimination round, and now finds itself in a tight three-way tie at 6-4 (win-loss) with Far Eastern University and Adamson for the third to fifth spots behind unbeaten leader La Salle (10-0) and defending champion National University (7-3).
Amid the struggles, graduating captain Detdet Pepito continues to steady the Tigresses, reminding her teammates of their potential as they push to regain their form heading into the crucial stretch of the season.
“I always remind them how strong we are individually and as a team. That’s what we focus on,” said Pepito after she had 21 excellent digs in UST’s impressive home win over FEU, 25-17, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, on Sunday at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
“We try not to focus too much on how strong the opponent is because sometimes that’s where we lose confidence if we get too impressed by them and forget what we’re capable of.”
Sweep of FEU
Pepito, who had some personal struggles in defending the floor for the Tigresses, always reminds herself of the golden standard of UST in volleyball.
And that’s what she wants her teammates to keep in mind as they enter the home stretch of the elimination after the Holy Week.
“I hope we continue to carry that mindset. That we’re UST, and we shouldn’t be easy to beat,” said Pepito.
The ace libero was relieved to complete an elimination round sweep of FEU, which they failed to beat last year, and bounce back from a tough four-set loss to La Salle last week, where they blew a 20-12 lead in the third set.
“After our loss to La Salle, it actually felt a bit lighter because we saw that we were already close. We just fell short, and they simply worked harder in the end. It wasn’t easy to move on, but we really tried. We kept ourselves busy with different activities to shake it off. We knew the UAAP season doesn’t end with just one loss,” said Pepito.
“The next day, training was lighter, but we were clearer on how to bounce back. Thankfully, we worked together on this game and really followed the game plan.”
Pepito and the Tigresses return to action on Easter Sunday, back at their home, the Quadricentennial Pavilion, against the winless University of the East.
