By Andrei M. Barrantes

Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws pushed the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons to 10 losses with a 25-16, 25-16, 25-22 victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines  Season 87 men’s volleyball tournament today, April 12, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.

Green-and-gold attacks echoed the Big Dome early in the match as FEU powered through a potent 25-16 opening set victory.

However, the Morayta squad’s second-set troubles continued as their 10 errors contributed more to Adamson’s 16-point second set.

Despite the sloppy performance, the Tams’ continuous firepower, marked by Dryx Saavedra’s 3-0 run, led to a repeated set score of 25-16.

In the post-game presser, Tamaraws head coach Eddieson Orcullo emphasized their need for composure, even citing one of setter Ariel Cacao’s beliefs.

“‘Yung sinasabi ni Ariel kasi na marami pang pwedeng puliduhin, hindi naman kami tumitigil, eh. So ang kailangan lang talagang gawin, ‘yung moment na ‘pag ginagawa namin, isaisip namin tsaka isapuso namin ‘yung ginagawa, hindi lang basta nagawa ‘yung task (Like what Ariel says, we still have a lot of things we can refine. It’s not like we’re stopping. So, what we really need to do is to put our mind and heart into it when we do it–not just for the sake of finishing the task),” he said.

FEU felt the most resistance from the Falcons in the third set when both converged at an 18-all deadlock. 

A few rallies later, Adamson’s Marc Paulino managed to eclipse the 20-point mark for the first time with a cross-court kill. After the scare, the Morayta spikers went on a 6-2 run to give the Soaring Falcons their 10th loss.

There to finish the job was Charles Absin, who buried the cross-court attack on his way to three points, all in the third set.

Cacao played maestro, unlocking the Tamaraw spikers and winning Player of the Game honors with his 20 excellent sets and three points, built from an attack, block, and ace.

Saavedra rose to the occasion once again with 13 points built on 10 attacks and two blocks. Meanwhile, Amet Bituin flourished once more in his second career start, chipping in 13 points as well with nine attacks and three blocks.

Fellow rookie stud Mikko Espartero closely flanked the duo, with nine points and two blocks. FEU notched a total of 47 rejections in total, 12 of them converted to points. 

The green-and-gold squad is now at 12-1 in their win-loss record, still good for first place. They have one more elimination round showdown against De La Salle University on April 26 at the same venue.

(Photo by Karch Rafael/FEU Advocate)