Wake-up call a golden gift Tigresses are not wasting
Angge Poyos (background) and the Tigresses look to start another streak. —AUGUST DELA CRUZ
Getting a wake-up call just before the Lenten break was probably the best thing that happened to University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Season 86 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
A 23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-20 back-to-earth beating taken at the hands of National University gave the Golden Tigresses something to reflect on and a firm idea on what they need to do for the remainder of the season.
“We have to maintain our grit,” Cassie Carballo told the Inquirer in Filipino as they brace for the second game of a new beginning when they battle University of the Philippines on Wednesday.
“After our (eight) consecutive wins (to open the season), our game kind of dropped because we were becoming complacent.”The Tigresses put the lessons from that defeat to good use as they rebounded with a 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20 victory over Adamson that gave the España-based squad the first slot in the Final Four.
“Hard work and consistency will be keys for us until the Final Four, and we can’t be complacent as well because we still have games to play in this second round (for semifinal seeding),” rookie Angge Poyos, who stood at the forefront of that win by finishing with a career-high 31 points, told the Inquirer in a separate interview.
“And I knew that we were going to play and move well so I am thankful that that happened.”Poyos was not alone in helping Santo Tomas back to the right track and have a renewed desire to play better. Another cog who was instrumental was setter Carballo, who orchestrated the Tigresses’ offense with efficiency.
“We have all agreed that we need a collective effort to win,” said the sophomore setter. “We can’t base it on just an individual during the game.”
It was also Carballo’s second consecutive time lifting the Tigresses to the semifinal round after setting for the Eya Laure-led bunch last season.
For the majority of the game, Carballo went to Poyos, especially during the crucial moments, knowing that she can rely on the freshman to find a hole in the Lady Falcons’ defense. INQ
