Lady Tams bag last playoff bonus after nipping Blazers
Far Eastern University needed four sets to turn back College of Saint Benilde on Friday, an effort that was well worth it after the Lady Tamaraws booked the last quarterfinal bonus in the Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup at San Andres Gym in Manila.
Alyzza Devosora stepped up big in the fourth set and carried the Lady Tamaraws to a 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23 victory as Far Eastern closed out Pool F play with a 2-1 record for second spot and the right to win just one game over University of the Philippines on Tuesday to advance.
Devosora scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth, including four of FEU’s last six points.
“We really wanted to make the quarterfinals with an advantage,” Devosora said in Filipino. “That’s why we worked so hard to win the fourth set.”
The winner of the SSL National Invitationals Batangas Leg, Far Eastern, squandered a four-point lead midway into the fourth frame as the Lady Blazers uncorked a 7-1 run to take a 21-19 advantage.
Gerzel Petallo sparked the Tamaraws’ closing 6-2 rally, capped by Devosora’s back-to-back hits.
The Fighting Maroons clipped Ateneo, 25-19, 25-15, 25-14, for their only pool win to finish third. They will battle Adamson, needing to beat the Soaring Falcons two straight times to march on.
Jelai Gajero led UP’s assault by banging in 11 of her 12 points off kills, with Irah Jaboneta and Sarah Ali adding eight and seven points, respectively, to help the Fighting Maroons arrest a two-game skid.
“We talked about playing with a lot of mental toughness,” Gajero said in Filipino. “That was our problem in our previous games. We need to keep fighting with our hearts and our minds.
“We needed this win to boost our confidence.”
The Blue Eagles went winless in the round as they fell on a collision course with the Pool F top seed and twice-to-beat University of Santo Tomas in the quarters.
Four-peat-seeking and twice-to-beat National University will face San Beda in the other pairing in the first round of the playoffs.
