UAAP: In reaching final 4, Lady Tamaraws proved doubters wrong

MANILA, Philippines—The Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws exceeded expectations in UAAP Season 81, when they made it all the way to the final 4 despite losing their top scorer midway through the women's volleyball tournament.

FEU still had a solid team entering the season even after the graduation of talismanic open spiker Bernadeth Pons. Unfortunately for the Lady Tams, they lost rookie ace Lycha Ebon to a knee injury in their first game of the second round, denting their hopes of making the semifinals.

Remarkably, the Lady Tamaraws flourished despite Ebon's absence. They finished with a 9-5 win-loss record in the eliminations, a run highlighted by a 5-set upset of defending champion La Salle in their final game. FEU entered the final 4 as the fourth-seed, but shocked top-seeded Ateneo de Manila University in their game last Saturday to force a do-or-die game.

Their run ended on Wednesday, as Ateneo ousted them in four sets. Yet FEU head coach George Pascua was proud of the fight that his team showed, not just in the semifinals but all throughout the season.

"Hindi biro 'yung challenges na pinagdaanan ng team," he pointed out. "May mga injuries, may mga nawala."

"And yet, until this game, lumaban pa rin sila," he stressed.

The FEU seniors — Jerrili Malabanan, Heather Guino-o, and Kyle Negrito — all knew that few people expected them to make it to the final 4 this year. Yet not only did they make the semifinals, but they were one game away from a second straight finals stint.

"I'm really proud of how far this team has come this season, especially since a lot of people were saying that our team wasn't gonna make it to the Final 4," said Malabanan, who scored 18 points in her final UAAP game.

"In my opinion, I think we achieved more than what they said we could."

An emotional Guino-o said her team was glad to prove all those doubters wrong.

"Sobrang saya po na nakarating po kami sa kung nasaan po kami ngayon," said Guino-o, who was the hero of FEU's upset of Ateneo on Saturday but was limited to 12 points on Wednesday.

"Yun nga po, parang simula pa lang, ang dami nang nagd-doubt sa amin. Pero pinakita po naming lahat na hindi kami basta-bastang team."

The Lady Tamaraws had no excuses for falling short, especially with how they played in the Set 4. After losing a heart-breaker in the third set, FEU fell behind early, rallied midway through, then fell apart in the end as Ateneo cruised to victory.

"Talagang mas tinarbaho lang ng Ateneo," said Negrito.

At the end of their campaign, Pascua expressed his gratitude for his seniors, who came through for the Lady Tamaraws both on the court and off it this year.

"Ako, very proud ako sa kanila," the coach said. "Umpisa pa lang nagpapa-thank you na ako sa kanila, team-building pa lang namin, nandyan sila para sumuporta sa team."

" 'Yung unfinished business last season, gusto naming ma-achieve. Unfortunately, hindi namin na-gain 'yun. Pero syempre very proud ako sa kanila bilang ates ng team, they did well. Very proud ako sa kanila," Pascua added.

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