FEU alum visit inspires Lady Tamaraws over Lady Eagles

It’s been almost a decade since Far Eastern University got into the finals of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.

And when the current crop of Lady Tamaraws found the right opportunity to get back to the grandest of balls, the former players who donned the green-and-gold had to witness it for themselves.

FEU alumnae Rachel Anne Daquis, Rose Vargas, and Tina Salk were in attendance on Saturday at Mall of Asia Arena when the Lady Tamaraws ousted Ateneo, 25-20, 25-21, 14-25, 25-19 in the Final Four of Season 80 to advance to the championship round.

“Their visit of course boosted the morale of the players because these were their ‘big sisters’ and they were supporting them and these former players waited so long to see FEU get back in the finals,” said head coach Geroge Pascua in Filipino.

The last time the Lady Tamaraws made it to the Final round was in Season 71, where they lost to De La Salle in three games.

Jovelyn Gonzaga, who isn’t an alumna of FEU but played for the Lady Tamaraws in several offseason tournaments as a guest player, also showed up to support the team that Bernadeth Pons now heads.

“They gave us motivational words and they told us to just trust in ourselves, trust in our skills, because they have so much trust on us,” said Pons, who had 17 points against the Lady Eagles, in Filipino. “They really believed in us so we also had to believe in ourselves.”

Libero Kyla Atienza, who is on her final year with FEU, echoed Pons’ words.

“It was overwhelming because they were our seniors and they were still there to help us,” said Atienza in Filipino. “It was a different factor for us because they really motivated us.”