Happy ending this time
In the first round, Far Eastern University was on the verge of victory with a two-set lead against two-time defending champion National University, only to fumble the chance to pull off the big win in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament.
It was almost déjà vu for Far Eastern as the Lady Tamaraws again blew a 2-0 match lead before allowing the Bulldogs to take match point twice. The last at 15-14 after Sam Cantada’s clutch hit.
A sophomore spiker, Love Lopez simply refused to endure another heartbreak, scoring eight of her 19 points in the fifth set of a classic 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 21-25, 22-20 victory over the Lady Bulldogs on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum as the Tams slayed that first round ghost while boosting their Final Four position by climbing to a share of second place with NU at 6-3.
La Salle continues to set the pace with an 8-0 record.
Lopez had an all-around game with 18 kills and an ace and tallied 25 excellent receptions and 14 digs, as Faida Bakanke led the Lady Tams with 22 points and 11 digs. Alyzza Devosora had 16 points, 11 excellent receptions and eight digs.
“It’s really about trusting in yourself, your teammates, the system from the coaches and God—because that’s where we draw our strength,” said Lopez in Filipino.
“Compared to last season, I think I’ve become more confident,” Lopez went on. “My teammates and coaches have really helped me build that confidence, especially during crucial points and important games.
“(We) stay patient, even when we’re making errors. We just keep going,” she explained. “You won’t see us blaming each other—if someone makes a mistake, we focus on helping each other recover.”
Jaz Ellarina, a former Bulldog, finished with six points capped by the game-winning ace, as setter Tin Ubaldo dished out 20 excellent sets on top of seven points.
Far Eastern carved out the victory despite missing captain Gerz Petallo for the second straight game due to a shoulder injury.
Cantada powered the Lady Bulldogs with 20 points, 20 receptions and 13 digs. Vange Alinsug had 19 points and 14 digs. Arah Panique chipped in 16 points and 10 digs, while middle blockers Alexa Mata and Chams Maaya added 11 and 10, respectively.
Meanwhile, University of the Philippines coach Fabio Menta admitted that it took some time for the Fighting Maroons to find their balance after losing star Casiey Dongallo, who suffered a season-ending ACL and meniscus tears in her left knee.
Besides the go-to scorer, who transferred from University of the East, the Fighting Maroons also missed Joan Monares due to an aggravated back injury and captain Irah Jaboneta.
But the younger players displayed got the goods from Kianne Olango and Jelai Gajero, who were converted from opposite spikers to outside hitters to fill in the huge gap as the Fighting Maroons ended a four-game slump after sweeping the winless Lady Red Warriors, 25-21, 25-15, 25-14.
Olango had 18 points off 14 kills while Gajero tallied 11 points, 12 digs and eight excellent receptions.
“From Day 1, I always said I don’t want a superstar on the team. We don’t need superstars, we need a whole team,” said the Italian coach.
“We cannot count on one player or two players. We count on everyone,” Menta went on. “These girls have the responsibility to produce performances and often instead of talking about team I talk about individuals.
“So I always tell them you do your homework and then you’ll see that we have a team.”
Yesha Noceja also stepped up as the opposite spiker with seven points and 11 digs. Niña Ytang delivered 14 points, including four kill blocks.
