UNIVERSITY of Santo Tomas is chasing wins, but within that chase, there’s also a promise being kept.
Not just to survive, not just to surge, but to make every remaining game count for graduating team captain Detdet Pepito.
The promise of extending Pepito’s last season stayed alive and kicking, as the Golden Tigresses swept three-seed Adamson in the first rung of the stepladder, with unlikely heroes stepping forward - not for the spotlight, but for their skipper.
READ: UST rises in stepladder after roaring past Adamson
Rookie Avril Bron may still be finding her place in the collegiate scene, but in moments like this, her purpose is crystal clear.
“Kami ni Lianne [Penuliar], super sumusunod lang talaga kami sa coaches at sa ates namin,” she told SPIN.PH.
“Pero naging motivation lang din si ate Det, kasi hindi na siya makakabawi next year.”
It’s a reality that has no room for second-guessing.
So Bron and the rest of the black-and-gold are choosing urgency, now or never.
“Gawin namin yung pinaka-best namin para mabigay sa kanya yung magandang exit,” said Bron who tallied six attacks and one ace.
On the other end is Jonna Perdido, a veteran who knows how difficult this tournament has been and how much more they still have to give.
“For me, meron pa akong maipapakita. Kung ano yung napakita ko kanina, mas meron pa,” she also shared with this reporter after finishing with 10 points and 10 excellent digs.
But like Bron, her motivation circles back to the same person - her batchmate, at that.
As she put it, “Ako, every game naman talaga, inaalay namin kay Detdet kasi last playing year niya na.”
Even in practice, there is that reminder, with Perdido narrating how Pepito herself has been in their ears - half-joking, but fully sincere.
“Before talaga kami pumunta ng game, may team meeting kami na sinasabi niya talaga palagi na, ‘Guys, i-extend niyo muna yung laro ha, ayoko pa talaga mag-pro,'” she detailed.
“So ayun, nakakadagdag din ang motivation na ganoon talaga si Detdet, gusto niya pa din kami na makasama.”
It may be quite the simple line for us, the audience. But deep within UST, it's all the additional motivation they need.
Pepito reciprocates
Because it turns every remaining match into time they can still share with their captain.
Pepito, for her part, very much feels it.
“Nakaka-touch,” Pepito admitted to SPIN.ph. “Kasi nga naglalaro lang naman din talaga ako para sa kanila at sa coaches.”
Even then, the veteran libero doesn’t take it as something owed to her. Instead, she sees it as a reflection of what the Golden Tigresses have long been building.
“Sana nafi-feel din nila kung gaano ko kagusto makatulong sa kanila and thankful talaga ako kasi kitang-kita naman na gusto nilang humaba yung buhay ko sa UAAP,” said Pepito, who collected 16 excellent digs and nine receptions, alongside four sets.
Of course, UST is all about winning now, being this close to the Promised Land. At the same time, it's also all about making the most of the time this current lineup has left together.
Even with bigger goals still ahead, the mission remains the same: keep moving forward.
And as long as they do, they’re certain one thing stays constant: Pepito remains right beside them.
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