After an early setback in its UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball campaign, University of Santo Tomas (UST), last season’s silver medalist, quickly regained its footing to prevent further damage.

“[Our loss] in the first game was a wake-up call, especially for the younger players. We took it as both a challenge and motivation because we knew they could come back stronger,” UST assistant coach Yani Fernandez said in Filipino.

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Following a tough four-set loss to Far Eastern University (FEU), the Tigresses have now strung together three consecutive wins, capped by a 25-21, 20-25, 25-13, 27-25 victory over Adamson on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Santo Tomas’ current winning run is a testament to the lessons learned from that early defeat. The Tigresses initially struggled with communication and chemistry due to the influx of new players, weaknesses that the Tamaraws exposed in their opening match.

But UST wasted no time making adjustments behind closed doors.

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“We had meetings and discussions, and I think it’s showing in their performance,” Fernandez said. “They’re slowly proving their ability to bounce back in practice. It’s not yet at 100 percent, but we can see the progress. They just need to keep working hard and not lose their drive.”

The team’s resilience was evident in the leadership of UST ace Angge Poyos, who once again led the charge with 21 points.

“We became tougher,” Poyos said. “Even after losing the first game, we remained complete. Our connection as a team has improved, and that’s the most important thing.”

Masterful playmaking

That chemistry was on full display, with two more Tigresses delivering solid performances—Regina Jurado tallied 17 points from 13 attacks, three blocks and an ace, while middle blocker Pia Abbu contributed 10 points.

“I also want to lead them outside of the court because I’m an [‘older sister’] now, especially since our team has a lot of rookies. If some of us need to step up, we just do it with heart,” Abbu told the Inquirer.

The scorers all performed under a masterful playmaking by Cassie Carballo, who lobbed 20 excellent sets—enough to counter another stellar outing from Adamson’s rising rookie, Shaina Nitura. The Lady Falcons’ standout racked up 28 points, along with 14 excellent digs and 12 excellent receptions.

Poyos, who has faced Nitura before, wasn’t surprised by her strong performance.

“It felt great to face her again since we competed in high school,” Poyos said. “I’m really impressed with her leadership and maturity on the court, so I’m happy we still pulled off the win.”

Next, Santo Tomas will put its newfound momentum to the test against an improving University of the Philippines squad.

“We’ll stick to the system and our game plan for UP,” Abbu said. “We’ll prepare for them when we go back to training on Monday with the guidance of our coaches.”

And despite the Tigresses’ recent success, team captain Detdet Pepito refuses to let complacency creep in.

“We still have a long way to go, and I keep reminding them that we need to be patient,” Pepito said. “Even though we’re winning, we can’t be satisfied with what we’ve achieved. We need to double our effort. As Reg [Jurado] said, ‘mind over matter’—this battle is all about heart.”