Displaying one big heart against a team that prides itself with always having one big fight, Far Eastern University on Saturday night extended its Final Four series in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament with Ateneo to a deciding match.
The Lady Tamaraws gathered themselves together after a disastrous first and fourth sets to pull out a 10-25, 25-23, 25-22, 12-25, 15-8 victory and push the top-seeded Lady Eagles on the brink of elimination at Mall of Asia Arena.
Ranked fourth in the semifinals, Far Eastern can make its way back to the title series and complete a reversal over No. 1 Ateneo if it wins the winner-take-all game on Wednesday.
“It all boils down to willingness to win, that’s our main weapon. We worked very hard for this and we managed to pull it off,” said FEU coach George Pascua in Filipino.
The Lady Tamaraws’ resolve were put to the grinding test after losing the first and fourth sets by big margins. But after both times, they charged back even stronger and left the Lady Eagles dumbfounded.
“We designed this type of game. It is something we practiced hard for and tried to execute. We showed discipline in sticking to the game plan,” added Pascua, referring to the staunchness with which FEU stood against Ateneo’s triple threat.
Kat Tolentino scored 21 points, Bea de Leon 16 and Maddie Madayag 13 for the Lady Eagles, who are now forced to exhaust their twice-to-beat card.
University of Santo Tomas clashes with La Salle Sunday at 4 p.m., with the Tigresses looking to end the reing of the Lady Spikers in just one game.
Heather Guino-o scored 17 points for the Lady Tamaraws, who closed out with 12-2 run in the fifth to be 6-for-7 in five-set matches in the tournament.