UST goes for ‘total revamp’ in buildup for Season 81

From the moment University of Santo Tomas exited the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament, its head coach Kung Fu Reyes immediately looked ahead to the Golden Tigresses’ future.

Reyes said UST will start off on a blank slate for Season 81 and no player from the 2018 tournament will have strength of tenure even as the incumbent Golden Tigresses will try out for one of the 14 roster spots.

“It will be do-or-die for next year, everyone will have to kill for their spot on the team,” said Reyes in Filipino Saturday at Blue Eagle Gym. “Everybody has the skills so the incumbent players have to defend their territory if they want to stay with the team.”

“This will be a total revamp for next year so we can also entertain the freshmen who will come in. There will be a tryout for every position.”

The Golden Tigresses finished Season 80 with a disappointing 4-10 record good for only seventh place after they lost to the Adamson University, 25-6, 25-23, 25-23, in their final elimination round game.

UST went on to miss the Final Four for the fifth time in the last six years.

Reyes said the poor finish was the reality the Tigresses were dealt with and they have nothing to do but accept it and move on to the next year.

“That’s the reality we have, we have to accept it,” said Reyes who finished his third year of coaching for the Golden Tigresses.

Reyes, though, sees a bright future for UST as he expects sisters EJ and Eya Laure to be in the Season 81 pool together with Cherry Rondina, who will play in her fifth and final year.

“There are also players from other schools who want to go enroll at UST without asking for anything in return because they just want to study at UST,” said Reyes. “That’s a big deal for us despite all the losses they can still see the potential of the school.”