By Ardyn Gonzales
The Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws scored a crucial win against fellow contenders Adamson University Lady Falcons, 22-25, 30-28, 25-17, 25-20, in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
After losing to the last year’s finalists, FEU needs to get as many wins as possible to remain in the running in what is touted as one of the highly contested seasons in the UAAP volleyball.
The Lady Tamaraws almost saw themselves with a 0-2 deficit in the match, but fortunately, Faida Bakanke and Alyssa Devosora came out clutch as they escaped the Lady Falcons in an extended second set.
Momentum stayed on the side of FEU in the succeeding sets as they banked on their strong floor and net defense to limit Adamson’s offense.
In the fourth, the Lady Falcons attempted to mount a comeback, but Coach Tina adjusted and subbed in the sophomore Lovely Lopez who provided the finishing touches for the Lady Tamaraws’ second win this season.
Bakanke tallied her season-high output with 22 points on 17 attacks and five kill blocks, while Devosora stepped up bigtime with 18 points and 17 excellent receptions. Marga Encarnacion also demonstrated strong defense prowess with a double-double performance of her own, dishing out 26 excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions.
On the other hand, Shaina Nitura led Adamson with 22 attacks despite being heavily targeted by FEU’s servers where she was able to convert 31 excellent receptions. Frances Mordi and Lhouriz Tuddao added 19 and 12 points, respectively.
FEU (2-2) will hope to build a winning streak against Ateneo (0-4), while Adamson (2-2) will aim to bounce back and get ahead of UST (2-2) in the standings.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
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