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FEU Lady Tamaraws celebrate after defeating the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament. UAAP PHOTOS
MANILA, Philippines – Far Eastern University coach Tina Salak encouraged her rookies to beat Ateneo in four years and win for the second time in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Alyzza Devosora led her freshman teammates Mitzi Panangin, Gerzel Petallo, and libero Marga Encarnacion in FEU’s comeback from a 1-2 match deficit and held off Ateneo in a tight fifth set match.
“He’s there, his presence. So he’s my priority. I’m not saying that the senior is gone, but the sense of urgency is necessary. So he’s ready,” Salak said shortly after winning 25-12, 15-25, 19-25, 25-15, 18-16.
“I’m very grateful to him, even though he’s new, he plays his part.”
(I didn’t take anything from the seniors though [our rookies] show a sense of urgency. They are ready. I am very grateful to him because even though he is new, he plays his part.)
Devosora and Panangin teamed up with sophomore Jovelyn Fernandez, taking charge in the fifth set before Petallo made the winning block.
The 20-year-old Panangin never pushed in the fifth set as he was eager to help FEU so that he could keep his team afloat in their neck-and-neck encounter with Ateneo.
“I was nervous in the fifth set but I did my best to help the team. I wouldn’t have been able to do it if we didn’t work together as a team,” Panangin said in Filipino after finishing with 11 points, including three blocks.
“We thank the coach for not giving up. He is always there to guide us and correct our mistakes.
Encarnacion, 18, stood up to Faith Nisperos and the Blue Eagles as he was everywhere with 35 digs and 12 receptions.
The young libero also showed maturity beyond his years, leading his teammates through a pressure-filled fifth set.
“I kept telling my teammates on the court to relax, this is ours, and it’s not over yet. I tried my best to motivate my teammates to play with courage. That’s why whatever happened in the fifth set, we relaxed and love the game,” Encarnacion said.
“My teammates also bring out the best in me and with the help of the coach, I can deliver [these numbers].”
This is FEU’s first win against Ateneo since May 4, 2019, when the Lady Tamaraws defeated the Blue Eagles twice, 10-25, 25-23, 25-22, 12-25, 15-8, in Game 1 of the Season’s Final Four series 81.
Salak shrugged off the skid-ending win over the Blue Eagles as his focus for the current campaign, where they hold a 2-2 record.
“I want to stay in now and look forward to another day. It’s not a problem for me,” said the new FEU coach. “The important thing for me is whatever I can contribute to the team and we did that today. We will push harder because we still have a long way to go. A lot can still happen in the second half.
Salak wants his ward to feel a sense of victory when they battle La Salle, led by former high school player Angel Canino, on Saturday.
“They don’t have to get used to losing. They have to believe that they can do it. All teams can be beaten, they just have doubts about how to do it,” he said.
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