FEU tells NU: Not tonight
FEU tells NU: Not tonight
MANILA, Philippines — Far Eastern U lived to fight another day, stunning No. 1 seed National U with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 sweep to force a knockout Game 2 in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball Final Four yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
With their backs against the wall, the fourth-ranked Lady Tamaraws banked on a 7-0 start in the third set before foiling the twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs’ searing comeback to complete a shocking sweep in one hour and 40 minutes.
The win-or-go-home Game 2 is set on Wednesday with the survivor advancing to the finals against either No. 2 Santo Tomas or reigning champion La Salle, which will clash in the other semis pairing today.
FEU bowed to NU in their two encounters in the elimination rounds but made sure to exact sweet payback when it mattered most, snapping the latter’s seven-game winning streak and denying it a quick march to a third straight finals appearance.
“Talagang ginusto namin. Nag-ensayo kami at pumunta kami dito sa Game 1 (na handa). Ginusto talaga nila. Naniwala sila na kaya nila, na kaya ng team, na kaya naming lahat na talunin talaga ‘yung NU,” beamed coach Manolo Refugia, who towed FEU back to the Final Four in his rookie season.
Chenie Tagaod, Jean Asis and Mitzi Panangin connived in a lethal troika with 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively, as FEU marked its semifinal return with a bang after missing the cut in the past two editions.
Rookie Faida Bakanke added eight points while playmaker Tin Ubaldo chipped in six points on top of her 16 excellent sets to orchestrate FEU’s methodical win on the red-hot NU that swept the second-round to rise all the way to No. 1.
The Lady Tamaraws showed a glimpse of that capability as early as the first set, erasing a 15-17 deficit for the win capped by Gerzel Petallo’s crosscourt hit to set the tempo before owning the Lady Bulldogs in the next frame.
And just when NU was on the verge of rediscovering its groove despite a sluggish 0-7 start by striking to within 22-23 on Tagaod’s service error, FEU still had the last laugh.
Alyssa Solomon committed a costly service error in the next possession as Bakanke went for the kill that just punched through the Lady Bulldogs’ defense for the big win.