Depth has long been the Golden Tigresses’ strength, with fans affectionately calling their reliable bench players “magic bunot” — those who come off the bench during tough stretches to provide an instant spark.
But this season, finding that spark has proven difficult, with dependable outside hitter Jonna Perdido and frequent off-the-bench sparkplug Xyza Gula sidelined by injuries. Kyla Cordora, who was expected to help fill that gap, also suffered an injury.
While UST’s starting lineup delivered in Round 1 — led by co-captains Reg Jurado and Detdet Pepito, reigning Rookie of the Year Angge Poyos, and last season’s Best Setter Cassie Carballo — their 5-2 record and second-place finish came at a cost, assistant coach Yani Fernandez said.
Even though the starters produced well, Fernandez noted that the team felt the absence of a dependable second unit.
“Siyempre napapagod din ‘yan and then nag-aaral din syempre. Naga-adjust ‘yong mga kalaban, especially sa mga go-to guys namin,” Fernandez said. “‘Yong rotation namin most probably nagiging parang eight- or nine-man rotation.”
Heading into Round 2, Fernandez believes that confidence from the reserves will be key in addressing their lack of depth.
“Well, I think siyempre, hindi deep ‘yong bench din namin…So, ‘yon ‘yong challenge din namin sa kanila, especially sa bench namin, na they need to step up,” he said.
“Para siyempre merong gulat factor na, ‘Ay, pinasok si ganito. Ano ba ‘yong palo nito?’ ‘Yon ‘yong isa sa sinasabi palagi namin sa kanila na, hopefully, magkaroon namin ng healthy bench,” he added.
Poyos and Jurado carried most of UST’s scoring load in the first round, averaging 19.43 and 16.86 points per game (ppg), respectively.
Outside hitter Maribeth Hilongo, who started in UST’s first two games, boosted bench production and tallied 18 points in the first round. Middle blocker Em Banagua, a regular starter last year but mostly coming off the bench this time season, chipped in eight points.
Carballo continued to distribute the offense efficiently, tallying the league’s second-best 4.62 excellent sets per set. UST is third in setting with 4.97 per set.
For the team to unlock the bench’s full potential, Carballo acknowledged she would have to step up and elevate her game in the second round, too.
“Kailangan talaga namin ng pasa, do’n kami nag-struggle talaga,” Carballo told the Varsitarian. “Nagfo-focus ako more lang talaga kung paano ko pagaganahin ‘yong spikers… Kailangan kong bigyan ng kumpyansa yung spikers ko.”
“I just try to do my best kasi alam kong malaki rin ‘yong role na ginagampanan ko. I know if maganda ‘yong laro ko, gaganda rin ‘yong magiging result ng game.”
Pepito anchored UST’s floor defense with 4.21 excellent digs per set as UST tallied 10.31 per set, second-best in the league. However, UST ended Round 1 second-worst in reception with a poor 22.10% efficiency. NU led the league in the statistic with 34.25%.
The game captain said she expects everyone to put in more effort on reception in Round 2.
“Very challenging siya kasi nga nagiging tactical lahat ng teams. So, talagang ipu-push namin ‘yong team. Dati kasi parang libero lang yung nage-extra. Pero ngayon, lahat ng passers talagang nage-extra na,” Pepito told the Varsitarian.
With UST heading into the second round locked in a tie with the DLSU Lady Spikers for the second-best record, Pepito believes the Tigresses still have another level they can tap into.
“Maraming pang pagtatrabahuhan po talaga, and tiya-tiyagain talaga namin since unexpected nga na ganito ‘yong magiging record namin,” she said. “Naging sukatan nga po ‘yong first round kung hanggang saan ‘yong kaya namin. So, pagtatrabuhan namin.”
