Reeling from a five-set loss to the DLSU Lady Spikers, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws staved off a scrappy University of the Philippines Lady Maroons for their seventh win, 21-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-22, at the FilOil Flying V Centre.
The Lady Maroons struck first and swung hard, unleashing a 7-1 blitz and eventually grabbing an 18-11 cushion. FEU remedied their reception woes and slowly crawled back, getting to within three, 24-21, after a Carly Hernandez ace. FEU’s serve specialist, however, brought the Lady Tamaraws to their undoing, firing a serve long.
The second frame was tight, until UP’s serve receive collapsed and allowed a flood of FEU aces and transition counters. Setter Kyle Negrito served back-to-back aces sparked a 6-0 FEU run that gave them a 14-10 lead. UP’s errors then dotted another 6-0 FEU blitz that placed the Lady Tamaraws at a decisive 20-12 advantage. Middle blocker Jeanette Villreal scored three of FEU’s last five points, closing a dominant showing.
FEU then summoned a rally midway through the third frame, serving at UP’s weak points to take a 21-15 lead after a Heather Guino-O ace. The Lady Maroons tried to rally back, but were stymied again by their own errors in the late game.
Continuing to take advantage of UP’s limited offense and passing, the Lady Tamaraws emerged with a 22-19 lead in the fourth frame, after an Isa Molde attack error. Standing at set point, 24-20, after a Villareal block on Tots Carlos, FEU almost collapsed late. Responding to back-to-back Carlos hits, the Lady Tamaraws finally got the clincher, going to Villareal for a running hit.
“Medyo nagmamadali ‘yung team noong umpisa,” admitted FEU head coach George Pascua. “Hindi naman namin matatapos ang game agad, kailangan dahan-dahan lang kami, at sumunod sa game plan.”
Four Lady Tamaraws scored in double-digits, thanks to Negrito’s career game of 46 excellent sets and nine points. Conversely, only two Lady Maroons broke double figures in points.
Tots Carlos topped the Lady Maroons with 23 points, while Isa Molde added 18.
FEU elevated their record to 7-4, staying in solo third. They take on the Adamson University Lady Falcons (5-5) on April 7 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. Meanwhile, UP are on the verge of elimination, slumping to a 3-8 card. They face the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles (7-3) also on April 7.
The Scores
FEU (3) – Pons 15, Villareal 15, Domingo 11, Basas 10, Negrito 9, Guino-O 5, Hernandez 0, Atienza (L), Duremdes (L)
UP (1) – Carlos 23, Molde 18, Cailing 4, Layug 4, Estrañero 3, Ramos 2, Lim 1, Rosier 1, Buitre 0, Dorog (L), Thai (L)
