Ambush

The video contains a short and edited interview with Rachel Daquis and Charo Soriano with the last two match points in Ateneo's win over UP to end the first round of Season 70 women's volleyball.

Far Eastern University vs. University of Santo Tomas

25-18, 27-25, 21-25, 26-24

by rick olivares

Ernesto Palimar took over the head coaching position of Far Eastern University’s women’s team only last September and he immediately plunged into preparation for the upcoming campaign. Like everyone else, the one team that was on ever school's radar were the defending champions the UST Tigresses.

Santo Tomas was gunning for a first round sweep and coach Augusto Santamaria’s girls were confident of accomplishing the feat until a virus leveled their starting center Hannah Mance the night before. “Biglang hindi na naming inisip yung sweep,” said the longtime team coach. “It was finding a suitable replacement para kay Mance. Hindi kami ready para roon.”

Palimar couldn’t believe the gift horse he’d been dealt. FEU’s game plan was stopping UST’s national team player Mary Jean Balse at the net. With Mance out, Venus Bernal was placed in the unfamiliar position of manning the center slot. Now the Lady Tamaraws may not be as tall as their UST counterparts but what they have are hops and the stamina. They not only train twice a day, but on weekends if they have no game they run and run. In fact, they are the only team in the UAAP that doesn’t wear knee pads and other protective gear. Just this week, they put in a requisition for pads and only three players wore them and one stayed on the bench. “We make it a priority to practice and do more practice for our receiving and digging,” revealed the coach. “We let our defense dictate our game.”

The Lady Tams took the first two sets 25-18 and 27-25 and had thoroughly stopped Balse (15 points) at the net. Bernal looked lost and very uncomfortable as the Lady Tamaraws took advantage of her discomfort. To stop the bleeding, Santamaria send their setter Denise Tan to block leaving Balse to set up their attack. While Bernal and Ma. Angeli Tabaquero got their licks in with 15 points apiece, but for the most part, they had to bleed for them.

The Lady Tigresses summoned enough pride to take the third set at 25-21 and seemed on the verge of forcing a fifth and deciding set, but May Morada and Shaira Gonzalez (who could be the rookie of the year for Season 70) would have none of it. Even in the face of a withering Tigresses assault that saw them tie the game at 24-all, the Lady Tams had a crucial stop to take a one-point advantage and brought in Rachel Anne Daquis to finish off the stunned league leaders .

Outside the Blue Eagle Gym, Santamaria was offered by one of his assistants a cigarette. “We would have liked to go home with a win, but sometimes a loss is good. It keeps you hungry.”