Lady Tamaraws out to milk biggest win in very demanding stretch

FEU’s Clarisse Loresco during a game against Ateneo in UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball.–UAAP PHOTO

In a volleyball season dominated by flashy plays, Far Eastern University (FEU) stands out with steady, consistent performances.

So, count on the Lady Tamaraws—having won eight of their 12 games with such flair—to try and maintain this level of play this weekend.

It wasn’t too long ago that Far Eastern hardly looked like the contender it is now. A semifinalist the previous season, the Recto-based squad barely stayed at .500 through the first round of Season 87.

Yet, under Tina Salak, the Lady Tamaraws powered through, impressively winning four of their last five matches over the course of eight playdates.

“We’ve just gotten used to it,” Salak said with a shrug. “That’s what was given to us. No complaints. It’s how you see how far a team can go, anyway.”

The match against the dangerous Lady Falcons will be FEU’s sixth game in nine playdates. But with a chance to return to the knockout stage and potentially secure a historic 30th crown, the Lady Tamaraws are refusing to blink.

“I’m really happy that all the effort we’re putting in as a team is paying off,” said Chenie Tagaod, whose team could officially secure a Final Four berth with a win over Adamson on Saturday.

“We’re about to enter the Final Four—but we know that we have to win to secure it,” she added.

Tagaod, and rookie Cla Loresco, are living proof of that Tamaraw resilience and determination.

“The coaches keep telling us to continue having the desire to win and the eagerness to keep playing,” Loresco said.

“Maintaining consistency—that’s been the hardest part,” Tagaod chimed in. “But we’re starting to get it. We know we still have more to do, but we’re close.”

The motivations are clear, and so is the path for FEU.

Now, all the Lady Tamaraws have to do is put it all together and ensure their climb leads them back to where they think they belong.

But that is easier said than done, with an Adamson crew led by a super rookie in Shaina Nitura also trying to claw its way into the Final Four and showing the league that it has the ability to do so after beating defending champion National University.

For Far Eastern to get to where it wants, the task seems simple enough. And that is to put the clamps on Nitura, and the job is half done.

But again, that is easier said than done.