By: Nicole Gonzales
Far Eastern University erased a five-point deficit late in the fourth set to rally past College of St. Benilde, 25-20, 20-25, 25-18, 25-23, moving closer to a return trip to the V-League Collegiate Challenge Finals on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
After falling behind 1-2 in sets, the Lady Blazers seemed poised to force a fifth set when Fiona Inocentes hammered a floating ball to extend their lead to five points, 19-14, putting the Tamaraws on the brink.
However, FEU maintained its composure and seized control, storming to a 24-22 lead. Lovely Lopez took command, spearheading a blistering 10-3 run that left Benilde scrambling to respond.
(C) V-League Images
Arianna Pua kept the Lady Blazers in the hunt with a sharp off-the-block hit, but Gerzel Petallo sliced through two blockers to secure the hard-fought win for the Lady Tamaraws after nearly two hours of action.
“Talagang sinasapuso namin na semis na ‘to. Dapat wala na talagang petiks, walang complacency, dapat pulido po ‘yung galaw,” said Petallo, who delivered a game-high 21 points along with nine excellent receptions.
“[Ang mindset] is hindi na kami aabot sa fifth set. Kasi tomorrow semis ulit, we have to face them again tomorrow. So para mas madali po ‘yung buhay namin, kailangan naming tapusin agad yung game and mas maging pulido pa,” she added.
The Lady Tamaraws are now on the verge of a third straight finals appearance in the tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Tin Ubaldo orchestrated FEU’s offense with 26 excellent sets. Meanwhile, Faida Bakanke and Jaz Elarina supported Petallo with 13 and 10 points, respectively, rounding out the double-digit scorers for FEU.
Alyzza Devosora contributed nine points, while Lopez, who powered FEU’s fourth-set resurgence, finished with eight markers off the bench.
FEU will aim to close out Benilde in Game 2 on Thursday at 5:00 PM, still at the same venue.
Zamantha Nolasco led the Lady Blazers with 12 points, while Inocentes and Shahanna Lleses added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
