Reliable veteran and vocal leader Eya Laure’s decision to turn pro left the University of Santo Tomas holdovers big shoes to fill.
Sophomore Regine Jurado stepped up and proved that she fits the bill leading the rebuilding Tigresses to a good run in their first tournament without the passionate Laure.
Jurado’s maturity and leadership inside the court steered UST, composed mostly of rookies and players from its reserve list, in the right direction to finish third in the Shakey’s Super League National Invitationals.
Head coach Kungfu Reyes showered Jurado with praise after living up to his expectations.
“We’ve been honing her to become a leader since she was 12 years old. Being a leader is already in her blood,” Reyes said of the UST high school product after the Tigresses captured the bronze medal last Saturday.
“Aside from improving their game at the same time they are working on their leadership. We’ve trained our players to become good leaders.”
With Jurado at the helm, UST beat University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 25-20, 25-21, 17-25, 25-13, in Game 2 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan to complete a clean sweep of the best-of-three battle for third.
The winger capped her stint in the tournament featuring 12 of the country’s best collegiate squads with 19 points to back up promising rookie Angeline Poyos’ 26 markers.
Jurado clearly understood her new assignment being UST’s leader but admitted that taking over Laure’s role is not an easy task.
“There’s pressure but somebody had to step up inside the court. I’m just coming off my rookie season but now I’m one of the players the team counts on,” Jurado said.
“So, I really need to step up.”
The Tigresses got their first podium finish since winning bronze in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference back in 2019.
UST finished fourth in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 a few months back.
The Tigresses had a chance to go for the SSL title in the knockout semifinal. But they suffered a late fourth-set meltdown and blinked first in the back-and-forth in the extended fifth frame against UAAP champion De La Salle University.
But UST did not waste the opportunity to snatch a consolation podium spot to boost its morale heading into UAAP Season 86 next year.
“We know we still have a lot of lapses to address but we can work it out since we still have a lot of time to prepare for the most important tournament — the UAAP,” Jurado said.
The Tigresses will be back in action for the SSL Collegiate Preseason Championship later this year.
