by Jerome Lagunzad
After taking the first two sets behind a balanced attack, the Lady Tamaraws lost steam in the third set but drew fine plays from veterans Bernadeth Pons, Heather Guino-o and Toni Basas to scuttle the Lady Bulldogs’ fightback.
More importantly, FEU racked up its third straight win and improved to 10-4 overall, gaining a provisional hold of the second spot over Ateneo (9-4) which was taking on defending champion and pacesetting La Salle (11-2) at press time.
A loss by the Lady Eagles to the Lady Spikers in their much-awaited rematch at the close of the elimination round will enable the Lady Tamaraws to secure the No. 2 spot and the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.
“Nakuhanan kami ng set nu’ng third pero sabi nga ni coach (George Pascua), walang titigil. Ayun, naging effective naman,” said Pons, who highlighted her 17-point offensive explosion with the game-winning drop shot.
NU, which got off to a sizzling 6-1 start in the tourney, hobbled its way to the semis as the fourth-seed with an even 7-7 slate and will need to overcome a twice-to-beat advantage enjoyed by top-ranked La Salle.
In men’s play, formidable NU finally put one over three-time defending champion Ateneo, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 25-19, to claim the top spot in the Final Four round.
Bryan Bagunas led their attack with 19 points, 18 of them off kill, while Madzlan Gampong added 13 points all from the offensive end, capped by the game-clinching crosscourt kill off Blue Eagles libero Manuel Sumanguid.
Not only did the morale-boosting victory snap its 13-game losing streak to Ateneo dating back to Season 77, NU wrapped up its elimination round campaign on top with a 12-2 mark in a tie with FEU which eliminated La Salle, 23-25, 25-26, 28-26, 25-20, earlier.
