By Aine Peralta

Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws absorbed their third consecutive loss after falling to the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) Blazers, 29-31, 21-25, 25-17, 25-19, 15-17, in the 2025 V-League Men’s Collegiate Challenge earlier today, September 7, at the Paco Arena in Manila.

The Tamaraws fought tooth and nail in the drawn-out opening set against the Blazers, with both squads exchanging extended rallies and crucial points down the stretch. 

Despite late efforts from Dryx Saavedra, a costly net violation sealed the frame for CSB, 29-31.

The green-and-gold squad tried to regroup in the second set, but errors proved costly as Benilde tightened its defense and pulled away, 21-25, to secure a 2-0 advantage.

Refusing to fold, the Morayta-based spikers mounted a fiery comeback in the third frame, with Rhodson Duot sparking momentum from the service line and Charles Absin anchoring the net.

Momentum shifted fully to the green-and-gold side as Lirick Mendoza and Amet Bituin poured in attacks, capped by a Saavedra spike to finish the set, 25-17.

FEU carried its momentum into the fourth set, with Absin and Mendoza leading the charge at the net. A 12-7 run forced CSB into back-to-back timeouts, yet the Tamaraws held firm, closing out the frame, 25-19, to force a decider.

In a thrilling fifth set, the Tamaraws surged early, 6-3, with key points from Saavedra and Luis Miguel. However, Benilde clawed back to tie the match at 8-8 during the court switch. 

The final frame went down the wire as crucial errors daunted FEU in the closing stretch, allowing the Blazers to snag the victory, 15-17.

In a post-game interview with FEU Advocate, Miguel highlighted how they need to regroup after facing three losses in a row.

“Siguro 'yung challenge namin ngayon is sunod-sunod kasi yung talo namin ngayon… Sa ngayon, hindi pa namin alam kung saan kami mag-a-adjust. Kaya siguro, simula bukas, magte-training kami. Doon namin sisimulan kung ano 'yung dapat na gawin para sa susunod na laban (Our challenge now is we’re on a lose streak… For now, we don’t know what we need to adjust. That’s why, starting tomorrow, we’ll train. That’s when we’ll start figuring out what we need to do for our next fight),” he said. 

Meanwhile, Bituin commended the team for giving their full effort even if they fell short.

“Ginawa pa rin naman namin ‘yung lahat, ‘yung best namin. Siguro sa dulo lang talaga lagi kinakapos, pero hindi pa naman ‘to [last], eh. Babawi pa kami (We still gave it our best shot. Maybe in the end, we fell short, but the job is not yet done. We’ll bounce back),” the opposite hitter shared.

Mendoza and Bituin led the Tamaraws with 19 points apiece. Supporting their efforts, Miguel added 15 markers, Duot tallied 25 excellent sets, and Saavedra chipped in 13 points and five digs.

Following the loss, the Tamaraws dropped to a 3-3 win-loss record in the tournament and will look to bounce back as they face Colegio de San Juan de Letran on Wednesday, September 10, at the same venue. 

(Photo courtesy of the V-League)