By MARK REY MONTEJO
After stumbling out of the gate with two straight losses, University of Santo Tomas refused to let its UAAP Season 88 campaign easily slip away, turning an early setback into the spark that ignited a much-needed breakthrough.
The strong-willed Golden Tigresses used their 0-2 dismal start into an inspiration to bounce back and finally enter the win column in a statement 26-24, 25-18, 25-21 victory over the Ateneo Blue Eagles last Wednesday, Feb. 25, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
And that was a sigh of relief for UST, which is powered by Reg Jurado and Angge Poyos, and hopefully, could create a momentum that it can maintain in its upcoming games.
“Siguro naging wake-up call nga po ‘yong first two games and ‘yon gawin naming inspiration ‘to,” said Jurado, who posted 12 points on top of 12 excellent digs.
“Kasi, at least, alam na namin ‘yong mga adjustments na need namin gawin as a team, para moving forward mas magaan and mas pagtrabahuhin ‘yong mga susunod na games,” she added.
Also a pivotal performance in UST’s first win this year came from Season 86 Rookie of the Year Poyos, who dug deep against a gritty Ateneo side, firing 21 points off 19 attacks, one block, and one ace along with one dig and three receptions.
“‘Di lang kami nag-dwell sa kung ano ‘yong mga nangyari sa past two games namin, talagang nag-move forward kami, kinalimutan namin ‘yon and nag-focus kami sa present,” said Poyos.
“Mas naging solid at mas naging buo kami this time, and I hope na magtuloy-tuloy,” she added.
The España-based squad, which now carries a 1-2 card, lost to last year’s finalists in defending champion National University and De La Salle.
Returning head coach Shaq Delos Santos, who guided UST to its last title over a decade ago, treated their slow start as a valuable learning curve for his wards.
“Parang both sides eh, may good side, pero syempre, kapag ‘di ka nananalo, medyo mabigat para sa amin. I think ‘yong pag-accept lang sa situation,” said Delos Santos. “So, mas do’n kami nag-focus, sa ano pa ‘yong dapat gawing respond do’n sa situation.”
“Mabigat, normal given ‘yan na not all the time mananalo, but ang importante is ‘yong papano ka ba-bounce back at mas pano buuin ‘yong team, especially sa side naming mga coaches,” he added. “Mas kailangan kaming maging inspiration ng mga players para mas mahatak namin sila kung ano ‘yong goal na gusto namin.”
UST eyes its first back-to-back wins this edition with University of the East (0-3) as its next potential prey this Saturday, Feb. 28, at its very own Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.
