Kungfu dissects UST’s defeat

University of Santo Tomas (UST) head coach Kungfu Reyes knows exactly why the Golden Tigresses fell flat during their Game One finals showdown with National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I think we lost the way we celebrate every point. The enjoyment itself. They got (too) serious,” Reyes said.

The Lady Bulldogs won handily in straight sets on Saturday, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, before close to 21,000 fans at the Big Dome.

“Is the question mark too big for their experience? We went through it in preseason but it’s not as big as this, the venue, the crowd. Somehow it became a factor but we’re not making it our alibi.”

The Golden Tigresses’ downfall started when they failed to secure the second set after UST’s consistent scorer, super rookie Angge Poyos twisted her ankle when she attempted to block Alyssa Solomon with the game tied at 11-all.

Reyes revealed that Poyos, who made seven points before her early exit, suffered from a swollen ankle and that her return in Game 2 on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City remains in question.

“Regarding Angge, it’s slightly swollen, but it’s not like what happened to Eya (Laure) that it became violet immediately. What’s good is it’s not her jumping foot because it’s on the right side, but again, it’s definitely gonna affect her performance.” Reyes said.

“Hopefully, she can return. We’re going to do an x-ray when we come back to UST, and hopefully, it’s nothing serious. It’s part of the game. Unfortunately, she stepped on a teammate. It’s kind of unusual, but it’s there. Moving forward, we just need to step up for one of our outside hitters.”

However, amidst the uncertainty of Poyos’ return to their next match, Reyes said teamwork will be the key for the Golden Tigresses to level the series.

“As I was saying to them, we’re not asking for an individual to produce Angge’s output. They really need to work together,” Reyes said.

“Xyza (Gula), Pierre (Abellana), it just depends on the outcome of our training. They have rankings, I can’t just disclose who that person is. But there’s a replacement wing spiker. We’re not winning just because Angge scores, but we win as a group.”