Ronquillo, FEU Lady Tamaraws hold off Lyceum to end PVL campaign

Shrugging off an early bump, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws trumped the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates, 21-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-19, in the 2019 PVL Collegiate Conference, Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Centre.

Jolted to their senses following a lethargic match opener, the Lady Tamaraws drew strength from France Ronquillo as they kicked their offense into gear to take the second and third sets.

With a win within sight in the decisive fourth frame, FEU buckled down to business.

Ronquillo continued to pound the opposition in a plethora of ways for the Lady Tamaraws, who also built a stifling net defense from Czarina Carandang, Ivana Agudo and Nette Villareal.

Behind an all-around thrust from its roster, FEU mounted a commanding 19-14 cushion and seemed to have the set in hand.

However, the collective hats of Alex Rafael, Joan Doguna, and Mary Onofre pulled Lyceum back as they whittled the deficit down to two at 17-19, urging FEU head coach George Pascua to sue for time.

“Noong 19-17, nag timeout ako to break ‘yun momentum kasi ‘yung momentum sa kalaban,” Pascua said. “Sabi ko sila noon na basic lang — rumeceive lang. ‘Yun naman ang importante kasi natalo kami noong first set, walang receive e.”

And his wards did just that.

The Lady Tamaraws turned to their floor reception all the while pressuring the Lady Pirates above the net. Lyceum then muffed a string of scoring attempts, putting FEU in the lead for good.

Ronquillo top-billed with 18 points built on 14 attacks and three service aces. Meanwhile, Carandang supplied 14 markers, including four of her team’s 11 blocks.

Shiela Mae Kiseo and Gel Cayuna were also instrumental in the victory. Prized-rookie Kiseo chipped in nine points while attacking-setter Cayuna poured in an eight-point, 19-set performance.

Agudo collected three kills blocks for nine markers while Villareal managed five points for FEU, which shut down its campaign with a 3-2 card.

“‘Yung chemistry na hinahanap namin, ‘yun ‘yung na-achieve namin this tournament kasi nga wala pa kaming final lineup for UAAP so para makita namin kung sino pa ‘yung deserving na maglalaro for UAAP,” said Pascua.

“Performance wise, okay naman kasi ‘yung expectation naman sa team, hindi naman ganoon kataas lalo na sa mga bago,” he added.

On the other hand, the Lady Pirates also ended their campaign with a lone win in five outings.

Rafael topped Lyceum with 15 points from 11 attacks and four kill blocks. Doguna chimed in 10 markers to go along with nine excellent receptions. Meanwhile, Onofre netted a pair of service aces for 10 points.

Lyceum skipper Ciarnelle Wanta tallied eight markers while Venice Puzon dished out 17 excellent sets on top of four points.