Heading into the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Women’s Volleyball Tournament, Detdet Pepito was vocal in saying that this is University of Santo Tomas’ best chance in recent years to claim the championship.

Ten games in, however, the Golden Tigresses are barely holding on in the Final Four race.

Hype and belief were high for UST entering the season, with an intact lineup, the return of healed players Jonna Perdido and Xyza Gula, and the addition of their high school team’s Best Middle Blocker duo, Avril Bron and Lianne Penuliar.

But the Golden Tigresses faced not just setbacks, but alarming losses, leaving them in a three-way tie for third to fifth places with the Adamson Lady Falcons and the FEU Lady Tamaraws during the Holy Week break, all standing at 6-4.

UST appeared poised to be the first team to challenge De La Salle University’s perfect record last March 25, building a commanding 20-12 lead in the third set with the match tied at one set apiece. Instead, the moment exposed the squad’s instability.

The Lady Spikers delivered a comeback for the ages, taking that set 25-23 before dominating the fourth to secure a 25-12, 18-25, 25-23, 25-14 victory and stay unbeaten.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

UST bounced back with a 25-17, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17 win over FEU on Sunday at their home court, the Quadricentennial Pavilion, forcing the three-way tie for third.

For captain Pepito, turning the season around will require the Golden Tigresses to find a deeper sense of purpose in their play.

“I think ‘yung puso. Kasi nakita natin na ‘yung puso ng La Salle nung time na yun, until now parang hindi pa rin kami makapaniwala na nahabol kami up 20-12,” said the fifth-year libero, reflecting on what her team still lacks.

“Kailangan pang mas mahalin ‘yung ginagawa, kailangan mas laliman pa ‘yung reason kung bakit kami naglalaro.”

While UST is clearly not a title favorite at the moment, with La Salle sitting atop the standings at a perfect 10-0, Pepito believes the season is far from over, with four more games left in the elimination round.

When things come together at the right time, and all that is lacking has been filled, the Golden Tigresses can still wreak havoc and show their fangs.

“Sinasabi ko sa kanila kung gaano kami kalakas as individuals and as a team. Doon lang po talaga kami lagi tumitingin kasi iniiwasan naming tingnan kung gaano kalakas yung kalaban kasi di ba doon kami minsan natatalo na namamangha kami kung anong kaya ng kalaban pero hindi namin alam kung hanggang saan din yung kaya naming gawin,” said Pepito, a two-time UAAP Best Libero in college.

“Sana mas madala pa po namin yung ganoong mindset na UST pa rin kami, hindi pa rin kami dapat basta-basta nagpapatalo.”

UST will still face University of the East, Adamson University, University of the Philippines, and National University.

The post Detdet Pepito urges Tigresses not to be intimidated: ‘UST pa rin kami’ appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Nxled’s play-in win on Saturday carried more significance than just a step closer to the semifinals—it also closed a painful chapter that began a month ago against the same Galeries Tower squad.

It was that preliminary-round encounter that first unraveled the Chameleons’ campaign: a 19-25, 25-17, 20-25, 21-25 loss that sparked a four-game losing streak and ultimately proved costly in their bid to reach the qualifying round of the 2026 Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference.

Nxled still had a chance to salvage their qualifying hopes after stringing together two consecutive wins to close the preliminaries, but the damage had already been done. The permutations simply did not fall in their favor, leaving the Chameleons stuck in the play-in stage.

But Saturday’s match offered sweet revenge, as Nxled ousted the Highrisers, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23, in the play-in semifinal at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, moving them one step closer to the round-robin semifinals.

When asked what made the difference this time, head coach Ettore Guidetti cited two key factors but emphasized that having MJ Phillips—who missed their previous encounter due to a knee injury—was decisive, as her presence alone transformed the team’s dynamics on both ends of the court.

“Well, do you want me to be honest or polite?” said Guidetti.

“First of all, we didn’t play with MJ Phillips last time. She had a minor knee problem, so we couldn’t field her.”

(C) PVL Images

The two-time league Best Middle Blocker made an immediate impact, tallying a game-high 17 points on 13 attacks, three kill blocks, and one ace—contributions that Nxled sorely missed in their preliminary-round defeat.

“And today, she scored 17 points in just three sets. Honestly, when one of your two best players is unavailable, it changes the whole situation,” Guidetti said.

“With MJ, we have three rotations we can rely on for side-outs. I don’t want to say it’s automatic, but more or less, yes—it gives us balance.”

Aside from Phillips, the Italian tactician said another factor in the earlier loss was the absence of veteran playmaker Djanel Cheng, who had been providing crucial minutes as the steady backup to starting setter Jules Tolentino.

“Also, to be honest, we had a little misunderstanding about Cheng’s physical condition last time, so I couldn’t play her. She helps a lot in every single game,” Guidetti explained.

With the win over the Highrisers, Nxled is now just one victory away from the semifinals. Guidetti believes that as long as the team maintains the same discipline and intensity, they have a strong chance of advancing.

“So, today, we were complete. And that’s the key. I’m not so full of myself to say I did something special. This is a great team,” he said.

“When they play together, they play great.”

#WATCH: A LOT OF ALCHEMY — AND IT’S A STRANGE ONE

Nxled head coach Ettore Guidetti talks about the up-and-down #PVL2026 of the Chameleons#ReadMore https://t.co/n30BG0uRjU

@jonashdcd /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/D3otnbsflk

— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 28, 2026

The post MJ Phillips’ presence made the difference in Nxled’s revenge win appeared first on Tiebreaker Times.

Camilla Lamina has already set—and made plays for—some of the best spikers in her UAAP career.

At the top of that list are three-time UAAP collegiate women’s volleyball MVP Bella Belen and two-time Best Opposite Spiker Alyssa Solomon.

Also part of that star-studded lineup are Faith Nisperos, Ivy Lacsina, Cess Robles, and Lamina’s current teammate Vange Alinsug.

For Lamina, a two-time Best Setter at the collegiate level, you can now add Sam Cantada to that impressive roster.

The first-year outside spiker from Dasmariñas, Cavite, has continued to draw praise, including from De La Salle University head coach Ramil de Jesus, who called her a “super rookie.”

“Actually po, very happy kasi si Samantha, very masayahing tao na kahit ano lang i-set mo sa kanya, papaluin niya,” Lamina said of her new star hitter.

“Kahit magkandakuba na siya, wala na siyang pakialam sa set ko minsan, basta magawan niya lang daw ng paraan, kaya nakakatuwang bata ito. Very proud ako sa kanya,” she added.

(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team

Lamina spearheaded National University’s 25-19, 25-16, 25-15 sweep of Ateneo de Manila University on Saturday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, marking a successful bounce back in the Season 88 tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs were coming off a crushing five-set loss to the FEU Lady Tamaraws last Sunday.

Despite only playing in the last two sets against Ateneo, Lamina delivered 12 excellent sets along with three points to guide NU back to the win column.

Cantada, meanwhile, contributed 10 points, highlighted by five service aces.

As the team’s leader, Lamina prioritizes doing whatever she can to stabilize the Lady Bulldogs—whether on the court or on the bench.

“For me, hindi pa tapos yung laban just because natalo kami ng isang game. Siguro, ang inisip lang namin agad is what’s next? And also kailangan talaga namin mag move forward kasi may mga next games pang nakaabang sa amin,” Lamina recalled her message to the team after the loss to FEU.

“As an ate and as a leader, ginaguide ko talaga ‘yung mga bata especially sa dikdikan ‘yung laban, binibigyan ko talaga sila ng advices pagdating sa paglalaro.”

With NU still figuring things out as the elimination round nears its end, Lamina aims to share all her experience to keep their three-peat hopes alive.

The Lady Bulldogs remain in second place with a 7-3 record but have shown vulnerability, suffering defeats against lower-ranked teams like the Lady Tamaraws and UP Fighting Maroons.

#WATCH: LA-MI-NA

Lams Lamina is grateful to her supporters, who have been chanting her name in #UAAPSeason88 #ReadMore https://t.co/GFy2LWOpVx

@justinvalencia_ /Tiebreaker Times pic.twitter.com/l5SJ4aGEAL

— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 28, 2026

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