Far Eastern University avenged its first-round loss to De La Salle University with a 25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 25-23 victory, forging a tie for third place in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
This marked FEU’s first win over La Salle in the UAAP since April 28, 2019, back in Season 81, when the Lady Tamaraws pulled off a 25-22, 13-25, 15-25, 27-25, 15-8 triumph.
Earlier this season, the Lady Spikers had swept the Lady Tamaraws in the first round, 17-25, 20-25, 22-25.
With identical 9-5 records, FEU and La Salle are now tied for third and fourth spots, but the Lady Spikers hold the higher ranking due to their straight-sets victory in the first round.
This result officially locked FEU into the fourth seed, regardless of tomorrow’s outcomes, due to their inferior set ratio. That means the Lady Tamaraws will face top-ranked, twice-to-beat National University in the Final Four.
Meanwhile, La Salle is still hoping for a University of Santo Tomas (9-4) loss to NU tomorrow, which would force a playoff for the second twice-to-beat advantage.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Ewan ko, parang may mga magic yata itong mga player ko eh, ginamit ang mga magic wand… Overwhelming ‘yung feeling kasi ever since 2019 nga. Overwhelming talaga ‘yung nangyari ngayon,” said FEU head coach Tina Salak.
Jyne Soreño, Angel Canino, and Shane Reterta sparked the Lady Spikers’ surge in the third set. They scored four straight points to turn a narrow 21-20 lead into a 25-20 win that extended the match.
In the fourth set, La Salle initially seized control, but FEU fought back to stay alive.
With La Salle up 22-21 after a Jazlyn Ellarina attack sailed wide, the Lady Tamaraws responded with a Faida Bakanke crosscourt hit to tie the match. FEU then gained the lead after Shevana Laput committed an attack error.
The Lady Tamaraws reached match point after Gerzel Petallo’s strong serve led to a misreceive by La Salle, setting up a Lovely Lopez putaway for a 24-22 edge.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Canino kept La Salle alive with another hit, but Lopez, a homegrown rookie from FEU-Diliman, delivered the finishing blow with a crosscourt hammer to seal the win after two hours and 28 minutes.
“Masaya po ako kasi pinagkatiwalaan po ako ni coach T. Nagtiwala po siya na gagawin ko ‘yung best ko, sobrang saya kasi hindi ko rin ine-expect na ganon ‘yung lalaruin ko. Siguro parang tinurukan ako ng adrenaline,” said Lopez, who came off the bench to score eight points, including the final two that clinched the match.
Petallo led the way for FEU with 19 points, along with 11 receptions and eight digs. Ellarina also shone with 13 points built on nine spikes, three blocks, and an ace, while Chenie Tagaod and Bakanke chipped in 10 points apiece.
Looking ahead, the Lady Tamaraws will need to overcome a huge challenge against NU. They lost both of their elimination round encounters against the Lady Bulldogs, but fought valiantly each time — dropping a five-setter in the first round, 15-25, 25-23, 26-24, 23-25, 8-15, and a four-setter in the second, 22-25, 26-24, 24-26, 18-25.
Canino finished with 25 points and 11 digs for the Lady Spikers, while Laput and Soreño contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Lyka De Leon also tallied an impressive 17 excellent receptions and 17 excellent digs.
