Far Eastern University head coach Tina Salak described it best: the Lady Tamaraws’ first-round campaign was a roller-coaster ride.
FEU began the season with a dominant win over University of Santo Tomas, only to stumble in back-to-back defeats — first against an upstart University of the Philippines squad, then in a narrow five-set loss to defending champion National University.
The Lady Tamaraws bounced back with three straight victories against the UE Lady Warriors, the Ateneo Blue Eagles, and the Adamson Lady Falcons. However, they closed the first round with a straight-sets loss to the DLSU Lady Spikers.
What was missing during FEU’s first-round journey was the maturity Salak knew her team possessed but had yet to fully unlock.
Facing their storied rival, the Golden Tigresses, to open the second round, the Lady Tamaraws displayed the growth and resilience their coach had long been waiting for — something Salak couldn’t have been prouder of.
With their backs against the wall in the fourth set, FEU leaned on Congolese wing spiker Faida Bakanke and third-year hitter Gerzel Petallo to erase a six-point deficit and pull off a stunning 25-22, 26-24, 17-25, 26-24 come-from-behind victory.
They also completed a season sweep of UST in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
That maturity and poise helped the Lady Tamaraws secure their first elimination-round sweep of the Golden Tigresses since Season 80 in 2018.
“Ngayon ko nakita na behind kami, ngayon ko nakita yung team na nag-mature. Behind kami ng six [points], hindi biro ‘yon na habulin. But yung maturity nila sa laro, yung maturity nila on how they want to play the game, ‘yon yung thought ko ngayon na doon sila nag-improve,” Salak said.
“Na-develop nila ‘yon from the previous games or sa training na nai-incorporate namin ‘yon na behind kami. But yung happy ako na ganoon sila ka-resilient, hindi tulad before. Marami pa pala sila pwede magawa at marami pa sila pwede mabigay. Very exciting for me itong second round na mas makita ko pa sa kanila yung attitude na ganito.”
Petallo echoed her coach’s sentiments, emphasizing that their newfound maturity was not only their edge over UST but could also be the key to a deep postseason run in Season 87.
“Yung sinabi ko po kanina, talagang ginusto po namin manalo at di po namin bibitawan yung set na yun. If bibitawan namin, may next set na ulit, so mas delikado pa kami nun. Mas gusto pa talaga namin manalo at di binitawan yung set na yun,” said the De La Salle-Zobel alumna, who delivered 12 points on 11 attacks and one block, along with 15 excellent digs and seven excellent receptions.
“Yung resiliency talaga magiging edge namin. Kung sasabihin nating consistency, talagang medyo mahirap siya anuhin, pero andun yung talagang bawi. May word tayo na bawi kasi may next day naman, may next game ulit. Pinapahalagahan namin every game. The grit is there. Though may mga ups and downs kami, kailangan naming tumaas, kailangan pa rin naming maging mas mabuti the next day.”
#WATCH: Coach Tina Salak is setting the tone for Faida Bakanke, Gerz Petallo, and the FEU Lady Tamaraws as they gear up for a stronger second round 🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/HmgK3ySvIK
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) March 23, 2025
