In a rematch of last year’s semifinals, the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws exacted their revenge on the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles via a five-set win, 19-25, 25-21, 18-25, 25-20, 15-9, in the second day of the UAAP Season 80 Women’s Volleyball, Sunday, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
It was the Jia Morado-led Ateneo squad that hindered FEU last season from giving their former team captain Remy Palma a good exit after being eliminated in the semifinals.
Year later, the still-intact FEU team came out prepared in their opening game this season and made it sure that they now have what it takes to beat Ateneo.
Down 2-1 in the match, the Morayta-based squad banked on the vulnerability of the Lady Eagles in reception, bombarding them with loaded serves to disrupt their plays, then went on to force a deciding set.
Ateneo started strong in the fifth set, 6-1, until FEU’s new head coach George Pascua called a timeout. The Lady Tamaraws quickly recovered and once again focused on the faulty first balls of the Lady Eagles to start their own run, highlighted by the three consecutive service aces of Chin Basas to complete the come-from-behind-win.
Jhoana Maraguinot and Kat Tolentino led Ateneo with 21 and 14 points respectively. Meanwhile, Deanna Wong also had an impressive debut as their new starting setter with 40 excellent sets. However, she has yet to learn how to convert shaky receptions into good sets as she was not able to utilize her strong middles Maddie Madayag and Bea de Leon––something her predecessor Jia Morado is good at.
The duo of team captain Bernadette Pons and Chin Basas did the magic for the Lady Tamaraws with 14 points each.
Not only did FEU score a win against Ateneo, but it was also the first time in a long while that they started the season with a win.
“In my past for years in UAAP, never pa kaming nanalo ng first game. Ito pa lang yung first time at fifth year ko na”, Bernadette Pons recalled.
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