AFTER FAILING to return to the finals last year, the UST Golden Tigresses have revitalized themselves just in time for UAAP Season 88 with an intact core and a returning head coach who once steered España’s mighty queens to the crown.
One landmark move UST made during the offseason was the appointment of Cesael “Shaq” delos Santos as the team’s shot-caller, replacing Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes, who now serves as UST’s program director for the women’s and girls’ volleyball teams.
Delos Santos, however, is not a new face, as he once led the Tigresses to their last volleyball title in Season 72. He eventually returned to the program in 2024 as one of Reyes’ assistant coaches.
“What we prioritize is the speed, the quality of executing every play, and the mindset of being 100 percent consistent from start to finish,” Delos Santos told The Flame.
Faced with the pressure to duplicate his 2010 feat, the tactician lauded his players’ willingness to adjust and absorb his efforts to level their playing field.
“They are already very talented, skilled, and experienced; they are not those young players that still need to be trained,” delos Santos said.
As the latest campaign approaches, the head coach has set his objective: maintaining an injury-free roster and playing as one team.
“Our key concern is for our roster to be fully healthy and to master every move and skill to attain a greater result,” he said.
A season of comebacks
Another comeback to look forward to this season is the return of marquee spiker Xyza Gula, who was sidelined last year due to a fractured tailbone injury.
“So far, my treatment has been fine, but it has been challenging mentally and physically,” Gula said.
Tigress senior Jonna Perdido is also prepping to get back to court in her last playing year after rehabbing from an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“My goal is to commit to every training; it is one of the steps for me to bring my confidence back,” Perdido said.
Open spiker Angge Poyos, has also recuperated from an ankle sprain she incurred in the Shakey’s Super League finale against NU Lady Bulldogs last November.
Despite the expected returns of power hitters, third-year middle blocker Em Banagua will miss the entirety of Season 88 due to a knee injury. Her absence and Pia Abbu’s decision to turn pro have sparked an enormous blow in the middle blocker rotation.
But for delos Santos, the middle blocker adjustments have been easy, given the skills of the rookie duo of Avril Bron and Lianne Penuliar, who can fill the gap together with sophomore Marga Altea and foreign student-athlete Blessing Unekwe.
New faces on the block
The Espana squad also added recruits Filipino-Japanese Julia Balingit and Louise Acojedo from Edmonton, Canada to strengthen its bid to end its title drought.
For Bron, one focal point for the rookies in terms of being in sync with the team is the guidance they receive from their seniors and coaches.
“When I was still in high school, I was already watching their games, so I already had an idea of how their system works,” Bron said.
“Having your teammates as your mentors helped a lot; it really hits different when someone guides you,” she added.
While she said the newcomers from the Junior Tigresses had a seamless transition to the senior’s squad, Balingit shared how hard it was to adjust to a new culture, mainly due to the language barrier.
Stronger chemistry
Despite the challenges, the Tigresses are fortunate enough to retain core stars, including veterans Pepito and Perdido, as well as seniors Reg Jurado and Cassie Carballo.
The transition period did not put a toll on the team. Pepito praised delos Santos’ efforts in terms of handling on-court pressure.
“The mindset that coach Shaq wants to instill in us is that, no matter what happens, even if you are in an uncomfortable situation, we have to embrace that situation, especially the pressure that comes with it,” the senior libero said.
Opposite spiker Jurado highlighted the physical nature of delos Santos’ training style and the slight tactical distinction between him and the previous head tactician.
“It’s not that different from Coach Kung Fu’s system… just minor tweaks. The team adjusted quickly, especially because from the very start of his mentorship as head coach, he had already begun preparing us,” the lefty hitter said.
She added that the Tigresses’ composition has tightened during the offseason, with the veterans and the rookies gelling well ahead of this year’s campaign.
“I can say that we’re closer now, especially with the younger players… Our seniors are more intact. We’ve also been growing closer with the other younger players and our rookies,” she said.
The Tigresses finished the Season 87 eliminations as the third seed, 9-5, with Poyos leading the score sheet with 251 total points. However, they succumbed to the twice-to-beat DLSU Lady Spikers in the Final Four.
A promising preseason
The Tigresses will kickstart their Season 88 campaign against the defending champions NU Lady Bulldogs on Sunday, Feb. 15, at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Last November, the Tigresses bowed to the Lady Bulldogs in back-to-back five-set thrillers during the Shakey’s Super League (SSL). Despite the defeat, the women from España held their heads high.
“Shakey’s was such a massive boost for us coming into UAAP, especially for the rookies who got a big confidence boost since they got into finals in their first playing year,” Poyos said
A couple of months after the SSL loss, the Tigresses went to Japan for training camp, which gave the team a new perspective on a refined play style.
“The Japan training camp made a huge impact. The good thing here is that we had another glimpse of what we want to improve,” delos Santos said.
According to the veteran coach, the team’s speed in executing plays and its play style improved thanks to Japan’s fast-paced approach. But he acknowledged that not everything is about strategies and skills.
“Everyone needs to stay healthy and avoid injuries, because that’s really our top concern,” he said.
“We need to really master in training what we want to execute in games. I think that’s where we’ll focus more.” F – Sebastian Amoroso and Ezekiel Bechaida
