Last UAAP season, Far Eastern University secured the top seed heading into the eliminations but ultimately wasted its twice-to-beat advantage, leading to an early exit at the hands of University of Santo Tomas in the Final Four.
Determined to bounce back, the Tamaraws made a powerful statement in the V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge, finishing the eliminations with a strong 6-1 record to claim the top seed for the playoffs.
This time, FEU capitalized on its success, dethroning De La Salle University with a commanding 25-22, 28-26, 25-14 sweep to capture its first-ever V-League title on Friday at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig.
Their historic triumph was made possible by the stellar play of Dryx Saavedra, who emerged as the tournament’s Best Opposite Spiker and Finals MVP. In the winner-take-all Game 3, Saavedra led the Tamaraws with 24 points, including 23 attacks and six digs.
Despite his individual accolades, Saavedra recognizes there’s still room for improvement.
“Sa totoo lang, palagi ko sinasabi na wala akong paki sa individual award. Alam ko kasi na sobrang kulang pa, may part ng team ko na malakas sila sa ganito, tapos ako hindi. Hindi naman dapat na dahil nagka-award ako, lalaki yung ulo ko,” the Igbaras, Iloilo native shared.
“Hindi ko talaga iniisip ‘yun, kundi kung ano yung galaw ng team namin, makikipagsabay talaga ako. Palagi ko iniisip na dahil nagka-award ako, kailangan ko talaga patunayan, i-improve, and i-develop sarili ko.”
(C) V-League Images
That drive for constant improvement, even amid consistent success, comes as FEU’s V-League finals appearance alongside La Salle has earned them a spot in the upcoming Spikers Turf Invitational Conference later this October.
The Tamaraws will face stiff competition against eight Spikers Turf teams, including the Chichi DHTSI Titans, Cignal HD Spikers, Criss Cross King Crunchers, D’Navigators Iloilo, Martelli Meats Master Butcher, PGJC Navy Sealions, Savogue Aesthetics Spin Doctors, and VNS-Nasty.
“Part kasi ‘yun ng stepping stone namin as a team, itong V-League, tapos mabuti na nag-qualify kami dito sa Spikers Turf, kaya talagang alam namin sa sarili namin na may kailangan pa kami i-improve para makapagsabayan sa kanila,” the reigning UAAP Best Opposite Spiker shared.
“Hindi pa tapos yung season ngayon ‘eh, syempre enjoy namin yung panalo kami, pero ayun nga, tuloy ulit. May laro ‘eh, pero ang kabutihan nun ay iniisip ko lagi na dapat makapag Spikers Turf kami kasi ayoko na puro ensayo lang dire-diretso tapos wala kang laro, parang wala kang pinag-prepreparean na liga.”
