Eya Laure may be the tournament’s most dominant player so far, but UST relies on everyone in its roster to perform valuable roles. —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
University of Santo Tomas coach Emilio “Kungfu” Reyes credits his Golden Tigresses’ strong showing in the first round of Season 84 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament to just three letters: “SSS.”
In a brief talk with the Inquirer before the start of the second half of the classification, Reyes bared the initials stand for a “Strong Support System” that surrounds main gunner Eya Laure, which has resulted in the Tigresses going 5-2, tied for second place with La Salle.
“Each player has a specific role, so every small part is important to the whole system,” said Reyes, who steered the Tigresses to the finals in the last season. “We hope we can sustain it as this season goes.”
The 23-year-old Laure is leading the league with a total of 160 points, but that doesn’t mean that Santo Tomas is a one-woman gang as teamwork remains evident even with Laure standing out practically every game.
That strategy will be put to the test again on Thursday, when the Tigresses—coming off a two-game winning streak—clash with Adamson to touch off another busy day at 10 a.m. at Mall of Asia Arena, where National seeks an eighth straight win when it battles La Salle in the last game at 6:30 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs have been unstoppable, but they will be tested anew by the Lady Spikers, who will rely on scorers Alleiah Malaluan and Thea Gagate.
Either University of the Philippines or University of the East will end a long losing streak at 12:30 p.m. The Lady Maroons dropped their last four games in the first round, while the Lady Warriors have yet to win this season.
Far Eastern also aims to snap a four-game skid when it faces defending champion Ateneo, which struggled in the first round with a 3-4 record. INQ