University of Santo Tomas (UST) has booked a seat in the championship of the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship Season 2.
But things are not going to be easy for the Tigresses, with reigning queens National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs standing in their way.
“We learned how to never let go of the fight,” said UST assistant coach Lerma Giron, who is handling the squad in lieu of chief tactician Kung Fu Reyes.
That lesson, which should come handy in the title duel against NU, was forged through a tough 25-21, 25-20, 19-25, 25-20, victory over Far Eastern University (FEU) in the knockout semifinals on Sunday.
Angeline Poyos, the hotshot rookie of UST, sizzled with 21 points on 17 hits and four blocks as the Tigresses finished off the Lady Tamaraws after nearly squandering a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.
Jonna Perdido and Regina Jurado added 15 and 14 points, respectively, for UST.
UST and NU, which swept Adamson in the other semifinals bracket, slug it out on Friday for Game 1 of the best-of-three series.
“I like the attitude of the players,” Giron said. “They didn’t give up. They fought to avoid what happened against St. Benilde [in the quarterfinals].”
The Tigresses had to fish their playoff edge out of their pockets against the Blazers, who forced a do-or-die with a 25-22, 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-11 victory in their quarterfinal opener. UST bounced back in the no-tomorrow duel to advance on the back of a 25-15, 25-16, 19-25, 32-30 victory over St. Benilde.
NU has won the two meetings between both schools in this tournament. The Lady Bulldogs ousted the Tigresses in last season’s semifinals and cruised to a sweep in the elimination round of this season.
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