Tigresses, Lady Spikers clash to sustain recoveries from opening defeats

Reg Jurado (right) wants Santo Tomas to take it one game at a time. —UAAP PHOTO

Having identical starts in their UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball campaigns, La Salle and University of Santo Tomas (UST) will be stepping on the court on Wednesday having similar outlooks they want to accomplish at each other’s expense.

The Lady Spikers and the Growling Tigresses were run to the ground by different foes to open their respective seasons, and after bouncing back the next time, they obviously would want to start their first winning streak on Wednesday.

“We’re happy to get the win because we reminded ourselves that it’s important to take it one game at a time,” Reg Jurado said in Filipino after leading Santo Tomas past University of the East, 28-26, 22-25, 25-23, 25-15, last weekend.

The Tigresses are finding ways to make up for the absence of Jonna Perdido and Xyza Gula, while the Lady Spikers are still being led by Angel Canino, but without graduates Thea Gagate and Julia Coronel, they didn’t stand a chance against the defending champion National U Lady Bulldogs.

Santo Tomas lost in four sets to vastly improved Far Eastern to open up their respective campaigns.

Hitters Leila Cruz and Maicah Larroza also left Taft, and the quartet became the first four picks in the inaugural Premier Volleyball League Draft last year.

Despite that, Alleiah Malaluan wants La Salle to put that straight-sets loss behind.

“The pain was there [after losing to NU], but like what coach said, we all learn from it,” Malaluan said after contributing 16 points in a win over Adamson. “So we don’t consider that a loss, it became a motivation for all of us.”

Santo Tomas and La Salle have a rivalry going, the height of which coming in the last two seasons, while the Tigresses snuffing out the Lady Spikers’ title defense in one classic game in the semifinals of Season 86.

“Every game will be a learning process for all of us, so we take it one game at a time,” Malaluan said.

“I think we are lacking confidence, maybe because we have a new setter,” La Salle coach Ramil de Jesus, in a rare postgame interview appearance, said. “With what we went through [versus the Lady Bulldogs], the young ones learned to overcome the pressure that’s always there.

“[UST] losing two key players will be a big factor,” De Jesus went on. “But [they have] a deep bench, so they have a lot of people to work with.

“Hopefully we can prepare well against them and at the same time play well when we face each other.”

That bench De Jesus talked of took a hit in the victory over UE with rookie Kyla Cordora limping off the floor because of an ankle sprain. INQ