MANILA, Philippines – The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses' long wait to make it back to the Final 4 ended in 2017, when an entertaining squad led by EJ Laure and Sisi Rondina advanced to the UAAP Season 79 semifinals as the No. 3 seed.
When UST is rolling, few teams can match its firepower. Rondina and Laure take turns in pounding opposing team's defenses, and the Tigresses have also been getting solid contributions from their bench players recently.
The Tigresses have already achieved its initial goal of making it to the Final 4, but given the team's long semis drought, there is no doubt that they are hungry for more success.
Before UST takes on defending champion De La Salle University in the Final 4, check out some of the highlights from their elimination round campaign.
Christine Francisco out of nowhere! #UAAPSeason79 pic.twitter.com/FlOiK46WE7
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) April 8, 2017
.@ennajielauree fought through a sprained ankle to stay in the match. Respect. #UAAPSeason79 pic.twitter.com/hKodjBWsaj
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) April 8, 2017
.@ennajielauree fought through a sprained ankle to stay in the match. Respect. #UAAPSeason79 pic.twitter.com/hKodjBWsaj
— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) April 8, 2017
1. The rise of Pacres Nation
Outside of hardcore UST fans, few paid much attention to Dimdim Pacres when she returned to the Tigresses' line-up in the preseason tournaments. Most of the focus was on high school star Eya Laure, who played in the senior team in the V-League.
Pacres performed well enough in the preseason to merit a return to Team A, and she has not let coach Kungfu Reyes down. Since the second round, she has been a fixture in UST's games, often coming off the bench whenever the Tigresses' energy could use a boost.
Her fearlessness and power has made Pacres an immediate favorite, not just of the fans but also of the arena barker, who unleashes a shout of "BOOM" whenever the UST star makes an impressive kill.
2. Christine Francisco saves the day against NU
Christine Francisco was rarely fielded in by coach Kungfu Reyes throughout the elimination round, but when she always remained ready should her number be called.
Her patience paid off in the Tigresses' final match of the elimination round against National University (NU), where Francisco was called on to take the place of the ineffective Chloe Cortez. Francisco came up with 11 big points, including two kill blocks, as the Tigresses came back from two sets down to oust the Lady Bulldogs.
3. The return of Ria Meneses to 'Best Blocker' form
After winning the UAAP's Best Blocker award in Season 77, Ria Meneses suffered a remarkable drop in form in Season 78, a year where she mustered only 16 kill blocks.
It is fair to say that Season 79 was a bounce-back season for Meneses. She finished the year with 28 rejections, eight of which came in a single game – their second round demolition of University of the Philippines.
Meneses also earned the distinction of beign among the few players in the league to have turned back NU's towering Jaja Santiago, as show in the clip above.
4. EJ Laure's display of heart
EJ Laure has proven to be a tremendous scorer and a solid defender in her three seasons with UST, but in their game against NU last April 8, she displayed her heart and courage as well.
Laure sprained her right ankle in the fifth and deciding set against the Lady Bulldogs, with the Tigresses just two points away from the win. Though she was in tears, Laure simply shook off the pain, and stayed on to finish the match.
Laure wound up with 22 points in the victory, and earned the respect even her most staunch critics with her display of grit and resolve in the fifth set.
5. Cherry Bomb
UST team captain Cherry Rondina is without a doubt one of the most entertaining players in the UAAP, not just for her truly spectacular spikes, but also due to her passionate celebrations whenever she scores.
Rondina's athleticism and scoring skill are nothing new to UAAP volleyball fans, but this season, she showed a new facet in her game: leadership.
Named as the team's skipper at the start of the year, Rondina showed an ability to lift up her team through both her words and her actions. As a vocal leader, Rondina can often be counted on to boost her teammates' spirits whenever they made a mistake, and she did not shy from taking charge during crunch time situations either.
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