MANILA, Philippines—Eya Laure knew she let University of Santo Tomas down and she wasn’t afraid to show it in public.
The Golden Tigresses were desperate for a fifth set in their second-round matchup against defending champion De La Salle in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament, and Laure had to bail her team out.
Laure, though, missed out on her chances, first running into a Lourdes Clemente’s block then having her last-ditch attempt come up way short.
And as the Yellow Jackets drummed the tune of the UST hymn, Laure did not hide her emotions and cried as the Thomasian contingent sang.
“You all saw that all of us were emotional, but now we’re all standing strong,” said Laure in Filipino after UST’s 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, 26-24, loss Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena.
“I’ve learned so much from this, I know that I still have so many things to work on. I have to compose myself after this. What I learned in the first round wasn’t enough.”
Laure finished with 20 points, a team-high for UST, but all her offensive exploits meant nothing as her two final attempts, ironically, were the Lady Spikers’ winning points.
The 19-year-old rookie added that doubt did creep up on her thoughts but she found solace in the coaches who kept her confidence up.
“I thought to myself if I can still keep going,” said Laure after the Golden Tigresses dropped to a 6-4 card. “Thankfully my coaches were there. I had my doubts but the coaches told me to stop it.”