PLAYING THE SPOILER
Far Eastern University (FEU) stunned La Salle, 25-20, 28-26, 20-25, 25-23, in both schools’ final UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament preliminary round assignments.
And while the victory in itself was a “milestone for the [FEU] program,” it was not the only outcome.
The Lady Tamaraws forced the Lady Spikers to fasten their fate on the final game of rival University of Santo Tomas (UST), which battles defending champion National University (NU) on Sunday for a shot at an all-important Final Four bonus.
“It’s an overwhelming feeling. As you all said, this is a milestone for the program,” head coach Tina Salak said on the heels of FEU’s first win over La Salle since 2019.
“It was a big advantage for us that we were able to make use of the Holy Week for rest and recovery,” she went on. “The youngsters’ desire going into this match was really different.”
As huge as the victory was for FEU’s program, the defeat could be equally impactful for La Salle.
A victory by the Lady Spikers could have put them at No. 2 and leave the Tigresses needing to beat the vaunted Lady Bulldogs to forge a knockout match for the twice-to-beat incentive. La Salle would have claimed the Final Four bonus outright with an NU victory.
Instead, the Lady Spikers are now pinned to the No. 3 spot and need UST to lose to the reigning queens to have a shot at No. 2.
FEU caught up with La Salle at 9-5 in the standings, but the Lady Tamaraws’ set ratio could only bring them to the No. 4 spot, sealing a collision against the twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs.
Gerz Petallo showed the way for the Lady Tamaraws with 19 points built on an all-around effort of 16 attacks, 11 receptions, and eight digs.
“Very proud of this team because everyone gave their full effort. Also, very proud of myself because I never thought I had this kind of game in me,” she said.
Against NU, Petallo knows turning in anything less would be fatal.
“We will really double our efforts because they’re a champion team. They won’t give it (the victory) to us. We have to work for it,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ateneo wrapped up its campaign with a gritty 25-21, 23-25, 25-16, 27-25 win over University of the East, with Jihan Chuatico firing 16 points to help the Blue Eagles snap a four-game skid and close out a turbulent year with a 5-9 record.
Injuries to key players like JLo delos Santos, Zel Tsunashima and Sobe Buena wrecked Ateneo’s roster, but the Katipunan side still managed to show flashes of their old fight.
Skipper Lyann de Guzman anchored the effort with a triple-double, while Chuatico expressed optimism that a stronger, braver core is slowly taking shape: “I think it’s going to be very bright, especially with the rookies that we have. They’re very brave and strong mentally. I just hope that more and more get to support us because we already have the skills to challenge top teams next year.”
