‘Not easy to just leave’: UST superstar Eya Laure weighs future after Final Four loss

MANILA, Philippines – The UST Golden Tigresses ended their UAAP Season 84 campaign in one of the worst ways possible with a stepladder Final Four sweep loss to defending champion Ateneo after blowing late leads in the first and second sets.

After a blazing hot 7-2 start to the first pandemic volleyball season, UST then lost four of its last six assignments, a setback that included two sweeps to the Blue Eagles.

Naturally, all fans shifted attention to team captain and MVP candidate Eya Laure after the season-ending loss, and wondered about her future with the Tigresses after falling short of a finals comeback.

However, even the 23-year-old star herself is still at a loss for a definitive answer after being checked by the Tigresses’ Season 81 finals tormentor.

“For now I want to think about it,” she said in Filipino after an emotional exit. “Of course, I will think about [the future] really hard, because it’s not easy to just leave UST just like that. Right now, I really don’t have an answer.”

The league’s leading scorer then revealed that she nursed some injuries sometime in the middle of the season, and she will just use her downtime first to heal and keep her conditioning in tip-top shape before coming to a decision.

It is worth noting that Laure is also part of the PVL’s Chery Tiggo Crossovers alongside her elder sister EJ, and the Santiago sisters Jaja and Dindin.

With the league turning professional in 2021, EJ decided to forego her collegiate eligibility with UST to play for Chery, while Eya – the Season 81 Rookie of the Year – decided to stay with the Tigresses.

Wherever she goes, the younger Laure will certainly be a core piece for either team, especially after breaking out to MVP form in just her second collegiate season. In UST’s first-round rampage, Laure was a woman on a mission after tallying a career-high 31 points, notably against Ateneo.

A few days prior, she put the league on notice with a pair of 28-point bombs – then also career-highs – in back-to-back outings against UP and La Salle.

Despite being checked for much of the second round and her lone playoff game, Laure undoubtedly emptied her tank to carry UST to a third-seeded finish. For now, her fans will have to wait for her next move as she takes a well-deserved rest following a grueling bubble campaign.

“[The season] has been quite challenging, but it was still worth it. We’ve really gone through a lot,” she said. “I will have to rehab my body and keep strengthening it for now.” – Rappler.com