UAAP Volleyball Preview: Tigresses targeting Final 4 return

FILE PHOTO – UST Tigresses. Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Head coach: Kung Fu Reyes
Last season: 5-9 (6th)
Key losses: Carmela Tunay, Jessey De Leon
Key additions: Caitlyn Viray, Patricia Rasmo

The UST Tigresses can be regarded as one of the more entertaining teams in the UAAP Season 79 women’s with then sophomores EJ Laure and Cherry Rondina providing contrasting styles of personalities.

Skipper Laure was the calmer of the two while Rondina was looked like the Energizer Bunny’s distant cousin.

That partnership helped UST to become the second-best team in terms of points scored off spikes with 584, which was more than champions La Salle and Ateneo.

But the entertainment did not equate to wins as UST finished the season with a 5-9 record and failed to enter the Final Four for the fourth straight year.

That is something the Tigresses are hoping to change this year, especially with head coach Kung Fu Reyes getting a better grip of the collegiate game.

“There are still areas we have to work on come the UAAP, the core’s good but there are things we have to polish,” said assistant coach Paul Doloiras.

“Our target first is to get to the Final Four because last year was coach Kung Fu’s adjustment period.” said Doloiras.

But there is still a long list of things that UST has to improve on.

The Tigresses were the worst team in Season 78 in terms of taking care of their services. They also had an average off 11 faults per match, a league worst, and they only came sixth in excellent sets tally with 386.

One of the changes that the coaching staff over the offseason was to instate Rondina as captain.

“We can see that she’s motivated in whatever she does and her heart is with the team,” said Doloiras. “The kids see that fire so she’s become a great role model for them.”

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