Skid-busting win over FEU shows Lady Maroons’ ‘step by step’ improvement

MANILA, Philippines—University of the Philippines has slowly started to rise to prominence in the women’s volleyball landscape for the past three years, but there are still teams that the Lady Maroons have yet to beat well until now.

UP hadn’t beaten Far Eastern U in their last eight meetings but that changed Wednesday in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament.

The Lady Maroons were able to secure their first victory against the Lady Tamaraws in five years, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 25-20, in another milestone moment.

UP head coach Godfrey Okumu said the Lady Maroons’ latest victory is a sign that the team is headed in the right direction.

“Everything comes with change, our team is changing,” said Okumu. “It’s now how we used to play before, every day we keep on changing and we’re trying to improve step by step.”

“It’s a good thing that we’re able to achieve this first win after so many years.”

For a bit of perspective, the Lady Maroons still had Kathy Bersola, Nicole Tiamzon, Pia Gaiser, and Angeli Araneta the last time they owned FEU.

Bersola led the Lady Maroons in that victory with 20 points and Tiamzon, who was known as one of the better spikers in her last years with UP, dished out 32 excellent sets as the Lady Maroons’ setter.

FEU had a rookie Bernadeth Pons score 22 points for the Lady Tamaraws who still had Marie Toni Basas, the older sister of Toni Rose, Gizelle Sy, and Geneveve Casugod.

“This is something we’ll take home and celebrate over,” said Okumu. “I hope when we meet them again the results would be the same.”