Angge Poyos was probably enjoying a simple existence in her small town of Bililihan in Bohol when she received a phone call one summer day. She did not know who was calling and ignored it. Then the phone rang again.
She finally answered, and the call may have changed her life forever.
It was University of Santo Tomas coach Kungfu Reyes at the other end. He asked her to join the UST volleyball team. The totally unexpected offer was sudden, but Poyos accepted the offer on the spot and the rest is history.
READ Angge Poyos eager to redeem UST 'ates' from S85 semis heartbreak vs La Salle
Poyos, 20, is UST's super rookie and she has lifted the Tigresses to the Final Four as the UAAP volleyball tournament's second seed, with twice-to-beat advantage.
The team will be playing defending champion La Salle in the semifinals and will have two chances to make it to the final. The other semis will pit elimination top seed National University, also a with twice-to-beat edge, against Far Eastern University.
The NU-FEU game is set May 4, 4 p.m., at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, while the UST-La Salle match is May 5, 6 p.m., at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
Poyos is looking forward to this match. Though a rookie, she has played beyond expectations and currently sits just one point behind in total points scored behind University of the East's Casiey Dongallo.
Surprisingly, despite coming from an environment where she played in near-empty stands, Poyos has adjusted smoothly in the riotous environment of the UAAP tournament.
During times when the top contenders play, the league draws as many as 16,000 fans, easily dwarfing PBA attendance records despite the latter being billed as the most popular league in the Philippines.
With this kind of near-fanatical fans, volleyball, women's volleyball, to be precise, is quick to trend on social media.
Initially, Poyos could not believe what she was seeing, that this game could attract thousands of screaming, waving, jumping hard-core fans.
"Na-culture shock talaga ako nung una kasi ang laki, ang dami," she said, recalling her feelings from seeing the jampacked stadiums. "Yung UST community din ang laki, nakaka-overwhelm talaga, ibang-iba to sa high school ko sa province."
Poyos told SPIN Life her decision to join UST was the right one for her despite getting a first offer from Adamson.
"Yes, right decision ko itong UST, kasi 'yung sistema swak na swak sa akin, pati teammates ko, nakakahalubilo ko, marami din Bisaya sa team, lahat kalog, kaya nagkakaintindihan kami, pantay-pantay kami," she said.
How it all began
She said that part of what made her join UST was that she always had been a fan of the Tigresses. She recalled following the exploits of former UST starlwart Sisi Rondina. So when Coach Reyes called, Poyos said there was no hesitation on her part.
"Hindi na ako nag-isip, UST na yun eh. Fan ako ng UST panahon pa nila Ate Sisi," she said.
Poyos said that to this day she does not know how Reyes got her number to make that fateful call.
"Hindi ko alam paano niya nakuha number or paano niya ako nakilala basta may tumawag na number sa phone ng mama ko, hindi pa namin sinasagot. Then may nag-text na 'si coach Kungfu ito', so sinagot namin, tapos dun na," she said.
"Ewan ko kay coach Kungfu kung paano niya ako na-scout pero grateful ako na andito ako ngayon kasama teammates ko," she said.
Now a certified volleyball star, Poyos said she gets requests to have her picture taken when she goes home for the holidays, an experience that thrills her no end,
"Madalas akong umuuwi, and ganon nga, nagugulat ako maraming nagpapa-picture, grateful ako na naa-appreciate nila yung talent ko," she said.
With her numbers making a strong case for individual awards such as MVP and Rookie of the Year, Poyos reiterated that the main objective is winning the crown with her team.
"I'm not expecting anything, ang important lang sakin is maglaro ako and goal talaga namin is championship kasama ang teammates ko."
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