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MANILA, Philippines — The latest chapter in the storied rivalry of the UST and La Salle’s women’s volleyball teams fit the billing of a UAAP blockbuster on Sunday, February 25, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Over 12,200 paid spectators watched the last two remaining undefeated teams, before the Golden Tigresses came out unscathed at 3-0 following a hard-fought thriller, 25-18, 25-23, 14-25, 16-25, 15-12, against the defending champions.
This early, UST flipped the script, owning the top tags – only unbeaten team, solo leader – that could have easily been attached to powerhouse La Salle early in the season.
“There are no easy wins this season, you have to work hard for everything, especially when you’re against the defending champions,” said UST head coach Emilio “Kungfu” Reyes.
And work hard they did as the Tigresses regained their poise in the fifth set after the Lady Spikers came close to completing a comeback from two sets down, 12-9, needing just 3 points to get their third win of the season.
At that point, Reyes calmed his wards by calling a time out.
“Whatever the result, especially in the fifth set, I was happy in a way since I saw my girls fight and kept it close in the end,” said Reyes.
UST’s neophyte core responded tremendously, with rookie Angge Poyos, who ended up with 22 points, sparking the late 6-0 run, which was punctuated by Mary Banagua’s dump at the net.
Third-year player Jonna Perdido, who finished with a team-high 24, was also instrumental in the win.
“[Our] immaturity showed during sets 3 and 4, but the beauty of it is that we recovered during the fifth set,” said Reyes of the Tigresses, who are playing their first season minus team star Eya Laure.
La Salle is a relatively more experienced team led by second-year star Angel Canino, who in her rookie campaign already secured the Most Valuable Player award in 2023.
But the UST players said they worked hard to be on equal footing.
Overall, La Salle still holds the upper hand over UST in 69 head-to-head matchups, 37-32, since the Taft squad’s entry to the UAAP in 1986.
“The UST team is very, very motivated,” said Reyes. “In the third and fourth sets, we went low batt (low energy). In the fifth set, I was just hoping that they won’t stop, that they would keep fighting.”
By the looks of it, that’s what the Tigresses will keep on doing. – Rappler.com
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