UST captain Detdet Pepito assessed the team’s position midway through UAAP Season 87, where the Golden Tigresses tied for the second-best record.
The UST Golden Tigresses found themselves in a relatively good position despite losing their final match of the first round in UAAP Season 87 against the NU Lady Bulldogs, as they have a firm grip on the second-best record in the tournament.
All things considered, UST skipper Detdet Pepito said that she was actually surprised at how well the team was able to perform as they also had a five-game win streak midway through the first round.
Of note, UST entered the season without a couple of key players in the lineup, with Jonna Perdido and Xyza Gula both out of commission for the year due to injury.
But as evidenced by their run so far, UST continues to be equally capable of competing with the best of them.
“Itong round na ito talaga, ito yung nagbigay ng kumpyansa sa team namin na kaya pala talaga namin kahit maraming key players yung nawala. Kailangan lang talaga pagtrabahuan kasi yung kalaban namin, nagta-trabaho,” Pepito said after UST dropped a five-set match to NU at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
“So kami, kailangan pa namin mas magdoble [ng] effort kasi yung kalaban namin halos kumpleto ‘eh. Sa amin, dami nawala at dami pa need i-polish pero yung result ng game, nag-fifth set pa kami sa reigning champion. Trabaho lang talaga tsaka yung eagerness manalo kailangan,” she added.
Though far from 100 percent, UST proved to be a tough challenge for the still undefeated NU Lady Bulldogs.
UST held a one-set lead over NU not once but twice in their round 1 closer, riding the coattails of the offense of Regina Jurado and Angge Poyos.
While it did end up in a loss, Pepito believes it was a sign of better things to come for the team.
[RELATED: NU frustrates UST in five sets to complete first round sweep of UAAP Season 87]
“Marami pa [kaming] pag-trabahuan pa talaga. Ta-tiyagain pa talaga namin since unexpected na ganito magiging record namin kahit na medyo panget yung pinakita namin nung first [few] games,” said Pepito, as UST also lost its season opener against FEU only to still end up with a 5-2 record so far.
“Medyo naging okay [na kami] nitong past few games. Naging maganda naman and naging sukatan yung first round kung hanggang saan ang kakayahan namin.”
Still, there’s much to work on for UST, especially as the Golden Tigresses are set to have a rematch against NU as soon as Saturday, owing to their rankings at the end of the first round.
A focal point of improvement? Reception.
“Siguro sa skills, yun nga, yung receiving namin [kailangan ayusin] kasi sobrang bumaba talaga siya tsaka very challenging talaga siya kasi nagiging tactical lahat ng teams na umiiwas sa akin. I-push namin yung team,” said Pepito.
“Dati kasi parang libero lang yung nage-extra, pero ngayon, lahat ng passers at players nage-extra na. Yung ka-diagonal din ni [Angge] Poyos, kailangan makita namin yung perfect match na as of now, hindi pa namin nakikita,” she added.
The second edition of UST-NU in UAAP Season 87 happens on March 22 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City at 6:00 p.m.