AFTER STUMBLING to a shaky 2-3 start, the UST Golden Tigresses strung together back-to-back wins to close the first round of the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament on a high note.
One of the pivotal adjustments behind the charge late in Round 1 has been the growing impact of young middle blockers Avril Bron and Lianne Penuliar, dubbed as “Bronuliar.”
Once dominant figures for the Junior Tigresses, the two multi-awarded products of the girls’ program are now beginning to carve out their roles at the collegiate level — giving UST a very active presence at the net.
A much-needed, confidence-boosting victory came against a familiar foe as UST swept FEU, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20, on Saturday, March 15, securing its first Round 1 win over the Lady Tamaraws.
“Our performance today was really good. What we’ve been working on in training is exactly what’s showing in our game,” Penuliar told The Flame after the game that saw her tallying two attacks and one block and providing timely deflections that disrupted FEU’s attacking lanes.
For Bron, however, the attention surrounding the pairing was never something the Tigresses dwelled on heading into the match.
“Of course, there are expectations, but for us it wasn’t really a big deal,” Bron, who contributed another steady performance of three attacks, three blocks and four service aces, said.
“That’s normal, but we don’t think about it too much. We just focus on executing what we need to do on the court,” she added.
UST’s block touches, anchored by the “Bronuliar” pair, proved crucial in containing FEU’s offense. The Tigresses held the Lady Tamaraws to 32 attack points, outpacing them with 40 of their own, while also limiting FEU’s primary weapon Faida Bakanke to just six attack points.
The 5-foot-10 Penuliar’s expanded minutes came after gradually working her way into the rotation late in the first round. During UST’s four-set win over the UP Fighting Maroons, the rookie middle blocker delivered three blocks in a single set after coming off the bench — an energy shift that helped turn the momentum in the Tigresses’ favor.
That performance proved enough for the coaching staff to make an adjustment in the middle. Penuliar was then given the nod against FEU, stepping into the rotation in place of Marga Altea, who had been searching for rhythm in previous outings.
“For us, I don’t really think about other people’s expectations,” Penuliar said.
“Over the past two days of training, we focused more on team bonding and just enjoyed playing together.”
The Tigresses’ two straight wins to close the first round could not have come at a more crucial time, with the standings tightening at the middle part of the table.
“We’ll start with training… Our coaches also said Round 2 will be a different challenge,” Bron said.
UST is now at 4-3 for the third spot. Another slip could have complicated its path to the Final Four, making the late surge all the more important heading into a decisive stretch.
“Training will be important because the second round is no joke. That’s where the Final Four race will be decided, so we really have to step up,” Penuliar said.
The España squad will now await the result of the UP-Adamson and NU-DLSU games, which will determine the final Round 1 standings and matchups for Round 2 next week. F
