For the second straight season, Angge Poyos and the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses find themselves staring at the same unforgiving edge — one win away from survival, one loss away from an early end.
What once was a breakout run to the UAAP Season 86 Finals has turned into a recurring test of resilience for the sophomore star. UST again faces a win-or-go-home scenario — this time with even less margin for error after a heartbreaking reverse-sweep loss to National University on Wednesday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
The defeat dropped the Golden Tigresses into a playoff for the No. 4 seed and the last ticket to the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball stepladder playoffs, setting up a sudden-death clash against Far Eastern University.
The Lady Tamaraws earlier completed their own reverse sweep of Ateneo de Manila University, raising the stakes even higher for Saturday’s encounter.
“Siguro this time, tiyagain lang namin and move on agad sa kung ano man yung nangyari ngayon. Though maganda naman yung nilaro namin ngayon pero hindi siya enough para makuha namin yung panalo,” said Poyos, who finished with 24 points, 15 excellent receptions, and nine excellent digs.
UST looked poised to close the match after taking the first two sets, but NU refused to fold. The Lady Bulldogs regrouped to steal the next two frames — including a late surge from a 5-9 deficit in the fourth — to force a deciding fifth set.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In the final stretch, Poyos and rookie middle blocker Avril Bron sparked hope with four straight points to erase a 7-11 deficit and level the score at 11-all. But in the clutch, miscommunication haunted the Golden Tigresses.
After the teams battled to a 13-all deadlock, Poyos admitted to a costly lapse with Season 86 Best Setter Cassie Carballo, leading to an attack error that swung momentum fully to NU and set up match point.
“Isang factor siguro yung marami kaming miscommunication, lalo na sa crucial na 13-all. Nagkaroon kami ng miscommunication with Ate Cassie, so factor yung usap din namin. And siguro kung paano namin matapos yung game, like 2-0, hindi namin matapos-tapos sa pangatlong set or pang-apat na set,” the Season 86 Rookie of the Year said.
Despite the crushing finish, Poyos made it clear that UST has no time to dwell on what slipped away. Instead, the focus shifts immediately to FEU this Saturday, April 25, still at the Big Dome — a do-or-die battle for survival.
UST already holds confidence from a sweep of the Lady Tamaraws in the elimination round, but the 22-year-old outside hitter warned that the stakes now erase all past results.
“Bigay lang namin kung ano man yung nararapat, like 101-percent. Ibuhos na namin. Huwag na kaming magduda kasi do-or-die game na talaga this Saturday, and for sure naman babawi yung FEU sa amin. Hindi kami basta-basta papayag na hindi kami papasok sa Final Four, so tiyagain namin and i-perform lang namin yung best namin,” Poyos said.
“Though medyo masakit yung pagkatalo namin today, pero yun nga, move on agad. And siguro more confident kami maglaro this coming Saturday, kasi sa amin din nakasalalay yung fate namin na makapasok sa Final Four. So ayun, panghahawakan namin na talagang ibigay namin yung best namin.”
