UAAP: UST Tigresses, in a tailspin, not panicking just yet

Detdet Pepito and the UST Golden Tigresses during a UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball game against NU Lady Bulldogs. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIREr.net

From carving out one of the league’s hottest winning streaks, University of Santo Tomas is on a tailspin, with the second-longest losing skid in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament putting the Growling Tigresses on the Final Four bubble.

Still, Coach KungFu Reyes isn’t raising the alarm just yet.

“Don’t panic! Our fate is still in our hands,” Reyes told the Inquirer in Filipino via chat.

READ: UAAP: Tigresses have some takeaways from bitter Bulldogs defeat

After dropping their season opener, the Tigresses surged to the No. 2 spot, a position they held for most of the eliminations. But consecutive losses to National University, Far Eastern University and most recently, La Salle, have sent them sliding to fourth place—just a game ahead of two teams tied at No. 5.

While the Lady Bulldogs extended their dominance over UST, La Salle—the new No. 2 team with a 6-3 record—snapped the Tigresses’ winning streak against them, which dated back to 2023.

Advancing past the eliminations remains in UST’s control, but the challenge is avoiding a lower seed, which would require beating a higher-ranked opponent twice in the semifinals.

“We just need to correct the breaks of the game. Besides, the teams ranked No. 1 to No. 3 are the only ones who have beaten us,” Reyes said. “Tactically, we can keep up.”

Other chasers

The Tigresses must prove that now, with every team scrambling for a playoff spot and UST sitting in the most precarious position.

Hot on their heels is Adamson, led by standout rookie Shaina Nitura. The Lady Falcons will get another crack at last season’s runners-up on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum. Their second-round encounter is set for 3 p.m., and Adamson is aiming for a different outcome this time.

Also chasing the Tigresses are Ateneo, University of the East and No. 5 University of the Philippines—the same squad that handed NU its first loss of the season—as well as the Lady Bulldogs themselves.

But Reyes believes UST knows what it must do to stay in contention.

“We just need maturity and [good] decision-making—all of which matter in the end game,” Reyes said, before promising a resurgence. “We will get better in the upcoming games.” INQ