Amid hot stretch, UST ace rookie Poyos keeps eyes on the prize

MANILA, Philippines – UST star rookie Angge Poyos isn’t getting ahead of herself as she’s consistently strung together big games for the Golden Tigresses, who have gone 5-0 in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tourney.

Resetting her career high with 26 points in a  three-set win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday, Poyos said that she didn’t mind what it said on the score sheet, as long as her team came out with the win.

“Sinabi ko nga kanina na ang mindset ko is maglaro lang and magcontribute sa team. Yun ang pinaka-importante,” Poyos said after the game. 

“'Di naman importante yung individual performance basta inisip ko lang na makapagcontribute, offense and defense.”

For assistant coach Lerma Giron, the wing spiker’s success is the product of her hard work, starting from training to the game itself.

“Well actually, yan talaga yung gusto niya. So, talagang finofollow lang niya yung heart niya. Binibigay niya yung todo effort niya. Kung paano sila gumalaw sa game, ganyan kasi yung ginagawa nila sa training,” said Giron.

Currently, Poyos is the leading choice for this year’s Rookie of the Year plum.

Still, the rookie understands that there’s still a lot to work on for the rest of the season, now at the tail-end of the first round, she is eager to keep working on whatever they need to reach their goal of winning it all.

“Siguro [ang kailangan] is consistency, and yung focus and wag pakampante and wag magrelax kasi mataas pa, mahaba pa yung liga and alam kong mas marami pa kaming mapapakita,” she said.

“For me, marami pa ko sigurong need i-improve lalo na sa pasa. Doon sa sinabi ni coach na ang pasa, need ko pang i-improve and sisimulan talaga yun sa training and with the help naman ng mga coaches, magagawa ko yun.”

Poyos will hope for another big performance when the Golden Tigresses play their penultimate match in the first round against the hapless UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday, March 13, at the Mall of Asia Arena.