Battered but unbroken, the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses are approaching their looming UAAP Season 87 clash with De La Salle University not as a grudge match—but as a proving ground.
Fresh off a humbling loss to National University, UST isn’t licking its wounds. Instead, it’s recalibrating. As they prepare for a high-stakes battle against long-time rival La Salle on Wednesday, the Tigresses are choosing growth over grief, reflection over regret.
The matchup, practically a Best-of-3 with major Final Four implications, carries weight beyond the win-loss column. At stake: the coveted twice-to-beat advantage heading into the semifinals.
But UST captain Detdet Pepito isn’t hung up on missed opportunities.
“We fought, even if we were undermanned,” said Pepito, who notched 17 digs and 14 receptions against NU. “We just need to embrace what happened and learn from it. That’s the mindset our coaches are instilling in us.”
Despite falling short in key statistical areas—attacks, digs, and sets—against the Lady Bulldogs, UST remains undeterred. The team is instead using the defeat as a mental sharpening stone, a chance to regroup and gear up for the bigger battles ahead.
Enter La Salle.
Their budding rivalry has intensified in recent seasons, fueled by high-stakes matches and emotional finishes—none more memorable than UST’s semifinal triumph over the Lady Spikers in Season 86. But the Tigresses are approaching this latest chapter not with vengeance in mind, but with vision.
“It feels like it was meant to be,” Pepito admitted. “We kind of already expected La Salle to be our opponent. It’s always a thrill to face them. Hopefully, we show the best version of ourselves this time.”
UST head coach Kungfu Reyes echoes that sentiment, acknowledging the mutual familiarity between both squads. But in his eyes, it’s not just about tactics anymore.
“La Salle knows us well, and we know them too—who their key players are, what their systems look like,” Reyes said. “But at this stage, it’s not just skill or strategy. It’s about mental toughness and heart.”
As both teams try to shake off disappointing finishes to their elimination round campaigns—DLSU having been shocked by FEU—the true test lies in how they respond.
And for UST, that response is clear: transform adversity into fuel. Not for payback, but for proof.
Proof that their resolve, even in defeat, is championship-worthy.
First serve is at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.