Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of the National University (NU) Bulldogs in five sets, 25-17, 21-25, 25-17, 14-25, 9-15, in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men's volleyball tournament earlier today, March 30, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

The Tamaraws were off to a perfect start, easily slicing through the Bulldogs' defenses, ballooning their lead to eight and ending the first set after a Dryx Saavedra service ace, 25-17.

Unfortunately, it was a different story in the second set as FEU was quickly swamped with a seven-point deficit after NU's offensive barrage, 15-22.

This gap continued for FEU as they were not able to capitalize on the Bulldogs' consecutive errors, ending the set, 21-25.

With both teams showing hunger at the start of the third set, it was a seesaw battle resulting in a deadlock, 8-8. 

Fortunately, the Eddieson Orcullo-led squad pulled away in the latter half through NU's errors and an offensive masterclass from outside hitter Mikko Espartero, 25-17.

Going into the fourth frame, the Tamaraws were overwhelmed by the Bulldogs' impenetrable floor defense throughout, capping off the set with a game-high 11-point margin, 14-25.

The same story still followed the Tamaraws as they were quickly dismantled by the defending champs in the deciding set, ending their flawless run, 9-15. 

FEU's team captain Jelord Talisayan said that they still tried their best to challenge their opponent.

“Actually okay lang din naman sa amin, kasi defending champions din kasi sila so alam kong gigil na gigil din silang bumawi sa amin. Ang sa amin lang, hindi rin naman namin ibibigay nang ganoon kadali 'yung panalo (Actually it was okay for us, since they are still the defending champion, so I know that they were hungry to get a win against us, but we still gave our best to make it hard for them),” the team captain shared.

Tamaraws head coach Orcullo gave credit to the Bulldogs for their tough nature throughout the match.

“NU, talagang [ang] tibay. Nakita mo naman, talagang trinabraho nila, ‘tsaka lahat ng team na natitira nating kalaro, gusto nila tayong talunin, eh, kasi mahihirapan sila kapag nakuha nila ‘yung stepladder, eh. Tulad ngayon, wala nang stepladder, edi back to [the drawing] board (NU was really tough, I think everyone saw it. Also, other teams are out to beat us because they are going to have a hard time if they have the stepladder. Now that the stepladder is gone, we will just go back to the drawing board),” the lead tactician stated.

Despite the loss, outside hitter Saavedra tallied 20 markers, while Espartero pitched in 15.

The FEU Tamaraws will look to get back on track against the University of the Philippines next Sunday, April 6, at the same venue.
- Marcus Isaac D.G. Bandong
(Photo by Krystoffer Zyanel Bermudez/FEU Advocate)