Prior to the season, fans set their UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball predictions with the DLSU Lady Spikers and NU Lady Bulldogs being favored to win the crown.

Lurking outside of that spectrum, the UST Golden Tigresses were a mere wildcard.

In volleyball, where height is perceived as might, teams with short players are often belittled and underestimated. The España-based squad, whose average height is roughly around 5-foot-8, were overshadowed by the towering ladies from Taft, who boast about 5-foot-11 in average height.

Ironically, after two rounds of eliminations, fate has brought these two familiar foes again in a battle of David versus Goliath.

Aiming for a finals berth, UST faces DLSU once more in the Final Four on Sunday, at the Mall of Asia Arena.

This time, the Tigresses hold the precious twice-to-beat edge.

Rebuilding

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Coming into the season, both teams have undergone major recalibration following the departure of some key players.

On the side of the Golden Tigresses, they have lost notable figures in Eya Laure, Imee Hernandez, and Milena Alessandrini.

But, despite the exit of their previous seasons’ main gunner, remnants of the Season 85 Golden Tigresses remained intact in what was dubbed as the post-Laure era — of course led by super rookie Angeline Poyos.

Aside from recalibrated troops, UST also revitalized their coaching staff with the return of Shaq Delos Santos, helping the team improve their net defense and outside hitting. Coach Shaq was the last mentor who gave UST a championship back in Season 72.

The Lady Spikers, meanwhile, who lost four of its starters from Season 85, including Jolina Dela Cruz and Mars Alba, as well as the early UAAP exit of Justine Jazareno and Fifi Sharma, still play under the title-proven system of Coach Ramil De Jesus,

However, compared to UST, La Salle seemed to be struggling more in rectifying the departure of the aforementioned, specifically, the hole that these players left on the team’s defense, absorbing two out of their three losses from the Tigresses.

Early in the season

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The Golden Tigresses still proved their doubters wrong after an immaculate first round.

UST then became the team to beat in the second. In the end, only the NU Lady Bulldogs and the FEU Lady Tamaraws were able to tame the Tigresses.

Health wise, UST and DLSU have faced unforeseen challenges along the way.

On one hand, Poyos missed one game against the UP Lady Fighting Maroons due to dehydration. She rested for a week before returning.

However, in her return versus the Lady Tamaraws, Poyos was noticeably not in tip-top shape, affecting the team's performance in a five-set defeat leading to FEU.

While on the other, DLSU's Angel Canino was sidelined in five of their last six matches in the second round due to an undisclosed injury. Coming back from a hiatus in their game against the Tigresses, Canino looked like a shell of herself.

Deja Vu

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The rivalry between UST and DLSU does not end in the UAAP, as both teams also met during the off-season Shakey’s Super League, the only preseason tournament the Lady Spikers have joined.

It was also a semi-final match-up between the Golden Tigresses and the Lady Spikers, wherein UST almost eliminated DLSU in just four sets, but the maturity and championship experience of La Salle enabled them to extend the game to a fifth set and ultimately secure the win.

In their first encounter of the UAAP season, UST and DLSU clashed in five-set classic wherein the Golden Tigresses turned the table against the Lady Spikers despite being down by three points at the latter part of the fifth set.

It was a retrospect of their Season 84 first-round match-up when UST and DLSU were also standing at the 9-12 marker during the fifth salvo, and the Golden Tigresses managed to snatch the match with a six-to-zero run.

For the Tigresses, another deja vu was their standing this season. Similar to season 72, UST also ended the elimination in Season 86 with a twice-to-beat advantage and entering the Final Four as the second-seeded team with a 12-2 win-loss record.

The 2010 edition was also the last time the Tigresses won a title in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament, a feat DLSU is seeking to prevent from repeating as they aim for back-to-back crowns.

Five years ago, on May 5, 2019, the Golden Tigresses and the Lady Spikers met at the Season 81 semi-finals with the former having the upper hand with its twice-to-beat incentive.

Five years later, the Golden Tigresses and the Lady Spikers will once again meet in the same round, on the same date, in the same arena, and in similar circumstances.

While UST also hopes to replicate the outcome of their Season 81 final-four encounter, the DLSU side is hoping to break the curse between them and the Tigresses.

Keys to victory

(Photos by Miguel Angelo Sumalinog/TomasinoWeb)

UST’s current roster is arguably the strongest team during head coach Kung Fu Reyes' stint.

The Tigresses now boast players who can effectively defend the floor and attack on all sides of the court, as well as the luxury of having a deep bench with players who are always ready to step up.

At the end of the eliminations, three players from the Golden Tigresses have occupied the top spot in four of the six skills departments with Poyos as the number one server, Cassie Carballo as the top setter, and Detdet Pepito as the best digger and receiver of the league.

The Tigresses’ fast plays would be their greatest weapon against the Taft towers, and when capitalized, UST would be a lethal force to be dealt with.

DLSU would have to rely on the attacking prowess of Canino and Shevana Laput to keep the competitive edge against the Tigresses.

However, a balanced offense will be crucial in toppling UST, most notably from Aleiah Malaluan and Thea Gagate.

A tall task for anyone, pulling the rug from under the defending champions La Salle will be easier said than done.