UST Golden Tigresses pre-season tournament

WRITTEN BY : Axel Adame and Brix Dela Cruz

After ending their season at the third spot last University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season 84 women’s volleyball and bowing down to Ateneo Blue Eagles in the semi-finals match, the UST Golden Tigresses joined preseason tournaments - Shakey’s Super League and V-league - to gain more experience and prepare their rookie players for the upcoming season 85 of the UAAP.

Shakey’s Super League (SSL) was composed of both UAAP and NCAA schools. Following the fishbowl method, the UST fell under pool B together with the Adamson University (AdU), Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU), San Sebastian College of Recoletos (SSC-R), and the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC).

The UST Golden Tigresses fought against the Adamson Lady Falcons on the opening day of the tournament, September 24, 2022, with the historical match ending the game at midnight the next day. With the help of their senior and supposed to be reserved player, Eya Laure, they ended it in the fifth set (25-20, 27-29, 15-25, 29-27, 15-10) and bagged their first win of the tournament. Succeeding the single-robin preliminary round, the UST Golden Tigresses swept the NCAA teams moving into the quarter-final round.

Starting the quarter-final round with a round-robin format against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers, they fell short and saw the match end in four sets. The UST Golden Tigresses ended the quarter-final round behind the Adamson Lady Falcons and pitted to face the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs at the knockout semi-finals match.

In the battle against the NU Lady Bulldogs, the UST Golden Tigresses managed to snatch a set against the reigning UAAP champion. Following the second set, NU took their way and won the remaining sets to end the match in four sets and booked their finals ticket. After closing out the opening day in a historical match-up, the UST Golden Tigresses settled for the bronze medal match against the Adamson Lady Falcons.

UST Golden Tigresses was up for a strong start winning the first set at 25-27. Heading to the next set, the Adamson Lady Falcons bounced back and snagged the second set. Answering the call of Coach Kung Fu Reyes, the girls in black and gold won the third set, 16-25. After the third set, the Lady Falcons showed their might to extend the match. Heading to the fifth and last set, the UST Golden Tigresses fell short and bowed down to the Adamson Lady Falcons and concluded the game at 25-27, 25-20, 16-25, 25-22, and 15-1, missing out on a podium finish.

While there was this ongoing SSL, the UST Golden Tigresses had a strong start at the V-League - collegiate challenge cup women’s elimination after beating San Beda University Lady Red Spikers, 3-0, held at the Paco Arena, last November 9.

After they strongly proceeded to the quarter-finals, the girls in black and gold committed crucial errors, which gave the Adamson Lady Falcons a chance to bounce back

The Golden Tigresses fearlessly tried to get back on track and solidify their offense, however, they fell short and lost against the Lady Falcons, 25-15, 25-15, and 25-22.

Steadying their composure with the loss against the Lady Falcons, the Golden Tigresses settled for a classification match against San Sebastian College-Recoletos (SSC-R) and succeeded in the match, 3-0.

The UST Golden Tigresses ended the league at the sixth spot after they fell short at fifth against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in the last classification match, ending it at 25-23, 25-22, 2426, 21-25, and 15-11.

Joining the preseason tournaments and battling up against different schools would definitely help the Golden Tigresses’ campaign, to bring back the crown to España in this upcoming UAAP season 85 women’s volleyball tournament.