FEU, NU DISPUTE LAST FINALS BERTH

THE FEU Lady Tamaraws and the NU Lady Bulldogs dispute the last finals berth in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament as they battle in a do-or-die Final Four match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today, May 8.

FEU and NU collide at 4 p.m. with their game serving as the main event of a triple-header that starts with Game 1 between twice-to-beat NU and La Salle in the men's semifinals at 12 p.m. followed by another men's Final Four match — Game 2 between UST and twice-to-beat FEU at 2 p.m.

The Lady Tamaraws stunned the favorites and twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 sweep last Saturday, forcing another do-or-die match as they try to reach the championship round where the UST Golden Tigresses are already waiting.

Second seed UST made it to the Big Dance after capitalizing on its win-once advantage and dethroning the third seed De La Salle Lady Spikers last Sunday.

Momentum is definitely on FEU's side which looks to be the first no. 4 seed team to make the finals in the women's division.

Coach Manolo Refugia and the Lady Tamaraws refused to get carried away by beating the top seed team, ending their six-game skid to the Lady Bulldogs as well as the latter's seven-game winning run.

"We're not going to forget to keep our feet on the ground. We're on cloud nine right now, but we need to go back to the ground because it's not yet over. We still have something to prove. We have to keep on fighting," added Refugia.

"The team who wants it more on Wednesday, the team with more chips on its shoulder, the team with the stronger will to win [is going to win]," added Refugia, whose team looks to bank on setter Tin Ubaldo and spikers Chen Tagaod and Faida Bakanke anew.

Seeking for their third straight Finals appearance, the Lady Bulldogs look to move on from their horrid loss and reassert their mastery over the Lady Tamaraws whom they swept in the elimination round, 2-0.

Committing 25 errors and not getting the usual production of their 'Big 3' of Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, and Vangie Alinsug doomed NU in Game 1.

Belen's belief in her team is unwavering, though.

"I don't think our confidence is shaken. I know my teammates and I know what we're capable of. We might have had a bad game, too many errors, some of us having an off game, but I know they're going to bounce back," said the Season 84 Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player.

"I know that my team is a fighter and this loss will test how intact we are as a team. We shouldn't be blaming each other for what happened because it's already done. We just need to move forward and put in the work."

2024-05-07T21:15:50Z dg43tfdfdgfd