Lady Eagles take one last shot at Finals berth

As dominant as Ateneo has been in UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball, the Lady Eagles could not escape the losses that put a dent on their status as a collegiate powerhouse.

Twice, La Salle made Ateneo look lost in the elimination round. And in the Final Four, Far Eastern U made the Lady Eagles burn their twice-to-beat edge as the Lady Tamaraws refused to play their last game of the season.

“I told the team earlier that this wasn’t going to be our last game,” said veteran Jerrili Malabanan, the FEU skipper. “We’re all happy that we achieved that goal.”

The Lady Tamaraws scraped past the Lady Eagles, 10-25, 25-23, 25-22, 12-25, 25-8, last Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena to force a knockout duel for a Finals berth.

Senior Heather Guino-o, who finished with 17 points to lead FEU’s offense, also fought for another playdate.

“This cannot be our last game, we can’t just allow it,” said Guino-o in Filipino. “This can’t be the last time that we’re playing with each other. We really feel ecstatic that we extended this series.”

Ateneo will have a chance to finally make the Finals when it takes on FEU on Wednesday.

The Lady Eagles are still highly favored to advance but, as Malabanan put it, “we’re all even now,” with both teams in no-tomorrow situations.

The winner of Wednesday’s match will face University of Santo Tomas in the Finals, after the Tigresses unseated last year’s champion La Salle in their half of the Final Four.