Far Eastern University surged to the top of Group B after surviving a hard-fought battle against Adamson University, 13-10, 13-8, on Day 2 of the UAAP Season 87 Esports VALORANT Tournament held at the Quantum Skyview Deck in Gateway Mall 2, Araneta City.
Tamaraws head coach Lawrence Fillarca credited their thorough preparations for helping the team weather Adamson’s strong challenge in their debut match.
“Yung ginawa lang namin is nagstick lang kami sa plan. Nagtiwala sa isa’t isa. Nagtiwala sa playbook namin and then inexecute lang namin nang maayos sa game na ‘to,” said Fillarca.
“First time nila sa stage kaya meron pang ibang mga kabado or hindi pa na-experience yung stage. Nung nakapag-warm up na sila, nakuha na nila yung groove,” he added, explaining how his players took time to settle in before closing out the game against a relentless Adamson squad.
With FEU clinging to a narrow 11-10 lead in Game 1, Jadine Ladines delivered a momentum-shifting double kill in Round 22 that brought the Morayta-based squad to match point.
Ladines continued his stellar performance in the following round, orchestrating a clutch 2-on-3 comeback to seal the Tamaraws’ opening victory.
Game 2 was just as intense, with Adamson stringing together three flawless rounds to trim the deficit to 10-8. But FEU kept its composure and leaned on the heroics of Andro Lapinid, who finished with 25 kills and 13 assists to close out the series.
The Soaring Falcons figured in a grueling double-header, later falling to the University of Santo Tomas Teletigers in a 10-13, 13-6, 13-3 reverse sweep, powered by the outstanding performance of Miguel Gumaru.
After dropping the opening game, the España-based squad came out firing in Game 2, racing to a commanding 9-2 lead behind Gumaru’s aggressive play.
UST never looked back, forcing a decider with a dominant performance.
The Teletigers carried their momentum into Game 3, opening with a 9-0 blitz, highlighted by a stunning Ace from Gumaru in Round 6.
From there, it was all UST, cruising to a one-sided 13-3 finish.
With the win, UST (1-1) climbed to second place in Group B with three points, trailing only the unbeaten FEU.
The Teletigers will close their group stage campaign against the Tamaraws on Saturday.
Over in Group A, University of the East bounced back from an opening day loss with a resounding 13-2, 13-6 win over National University.
Nasif Macarambon set the tone for the Red Warriors with a monster 23-kill, 6-assist outing in Game 1.
In Game 2, John Gabriel Sunga took charge as UE turned a slim 6-5 edge into a rout, winning seven of the last eight rounds.
The Recto-based squad improved to 1-1 with three points, climbing to third place in Group A.
UE will battle defending champion De La Salle University on Saturday for a chance to reach the semifinals.
Catch all the UAAP Esports VALORANT Tournament matches live on Pilipinas Live and the UAAP Varsity Channel.
