UST Tigresses. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
University of Santo Tomas has reached its initial goal of making the Final Four, but if head coach Kung Fu Reyes is to be believed, there’s nothing stopping the Golden Tigresses from trying to cause ripples in the championship conversation.
The Golden Tigresses ended the eliminations as the third seeds with a 9-5 card after coming back from two sets down to beat National University, 20-25, 19-25, 25-22, 25-21, 15-12, and that victory gave Reyes enough confidence to try to establish their presence as a championship contender.
“I can say that my team is a Final Four team, so we have to take the next step, we won’t settle for the Final Four,” said Reyes Saturday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “We’ll dream big, we’ll overachieve. We’ll try to achieve more from what we got here today.”
UST’s entry to the Final Four this Season 79 is the first time in five years the storied volleyball power will appear in the semifinals.
And Reyes sees no reason why they shouldn’t try to compete against title favorites De La Salle, the defending champions, and Ateneo, the titlists from Season 77.
“We can celebrate our entry to the Final Four but we can’t be contented with just that,” said Reyes who took over the team in Season 78. “The kids have this high morale right now, and hopefully we can put up a fight against the top two teams.”
UST showed its fighting spirit against the Lady Bulldogs after the Golden Tigresses roared back from two sets down and claimed the next three periods.
“This is a good indication for the team because I can see that the kids are ready to fight until the end, regardless of the score,” said Reyes. “Win or lose, they are willing to work hard and that’s the important thing. We are willing to fight.”