NEW DAWN

Rebuilding University of Santo Tomas ushers in a new chapter in its quest for the elusive crown following the departure of former court leader and scoring ace Eya Laure last season.

Ending a 14-year title drought now rests on the hands of a handful of seniors and promising newcomers when the Golden Tigresses march back into the the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 women's volleyball tournament beginning Saturday.

Holdovers led by team captain Detdet Pepito and winger Regina Jurado will be at the front and center of the España-based squad's drive for a top podium finish after only reaching fourth place in what eventually ended up as Laure's final dance as a Tigress last year.

"We want to prove that at least from our pool of players left we would be able to reach something," Jurado said.

Laure's decision to forgo her remaining playing eligibility year to turn pro left a gaping hole in the Kung Reyes-mentored team's scoring. The open spiker shouldered most of UST's scoring load, averaging nearly 20 points per game.

Jurado along with rookie Angge Poyos, Xyza Gula and Jona Perdido would have to work hand in hand to fill in the big shoes left by Laure.

"I'll just do my best, all of us, actually. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself as a scorer. I just want to play my game," Jurado, who averaged almost 10 points per game last year, said.

This season truly is a challenging one for the Tigresses as they also lost reliable middle Imee Hernandez, veteran winger Milena Alessandrini and Janna Torres.

"Everything is new to us since we're a rebuilding team. Most of us left are relatively young. It's really challenging because we're missing the likes of Ate Eya and other veterans who are our leaders and seniors," the reigning Best Libero Pepito said.

But UST is motivated to keep on fighting for school pride.

"We just have to accept that people come and people go. All we have to do is adjust and train, cooperate with the new members and rebuild our team. We're not really starting from scratch. We just need to be consistent and improve," Jurado said.

The Tigresses had a good offseason where they finished runner-up in the Shakey's Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship and a bronze in the SSL National Invitationals.

"So far from our previous league (Shakey's) we performed okay. We kept our expectations low but we performed well and played without pressure. We've proven to ourselves that we can still be competitive even without Ate Eya," Pepito said.

UST also had a training camp in Japan as part of its buildup for the UAAP season.

"This season we're hungrier after what happened last season. We're more motivated," Pepito said.