MANILA, Philippines – By keeping its composure, FEU tightened its grip of a top-four spot.
The Lady Tamaraws leaned on Faida Bakanke late to survive the UP Fighting Maroons, 25-21, 25-16, 14-25, 26-24, in the second round of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday, April 6, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The victory put FEU in a two-way tie with the UST Golden Tigresses for the third spot with a 7-4 win-loss record.
Bakanke notched 20 points on 17 attacks along with 7 digs to carry the cudgels for the Lady Tamaraws, especially in the fourth set when FEU squandered an early nine-point lead before securing the win in the extended affair.
Meanwhile, Chenie Tagaod and Gerzel Petallo had 14 points apiece as the Lady Tamaraws topped the attacking department, 56-47.
“I was like watching action and then drama,” FEU head coach Tina Salak said in Fililino. “We had a hard time maintaining the lead but I saw the maturity of the players in the way they handled the game. I’m very happy we got that turnout.”
Salak refused to be complacent as the Lady Tamaraws separated themselves from the bottom four team with three games left in eliminations.
“We remained focus on our goal every game. Every team should be taken seriously, especially in the second round when all teams adjusted well. So we cannot be complacent on where we are now in the standings,” Salak said.
After cruising in the first two sets, the Lady Tamaraws missed out on a sweep as UP dominated the third set.
FEU took back control early in the fourth set, 12-3, before UP zoomed to a 9-0 run to tie it up at 12-all and kept within striking distance from thereon.
The Fighting Maroons then built a four-point lead late in the set, 20-16, only for the Lady Tamaraws to rediscover their touch through Bakanke’s exploits to finish the game on a 10-4 blast and seal the win.
Kianne Olango, Joan Monares, and Irah Jaboneta each had 13 markers in the game as the Fighting Maroons stumbled to 5-6, two games behind the top four spot.
Nina Ytang also added 11 points for the Fighting Maroons, whose squad came off back-to-back wins against the UE Lady Warriors and the NU Lady Bulldogs.
The Lady Tamaraws will next face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday, April 9, at the PhilSports Arena, while the Lady Maroons will return on Sunday, April 13, against the De La Salle Lady Spikers at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com