Games Sunday
2 p.m. – UST vs Adamson (best-of-three for third)
4 p.m. – FEU vs NU (best-of-three for crown)
MANILA, Philippines - Foiled in its sweep bid, Far Eastern U got back at Adamson in the fourth set as it pounded out a 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-22 victory in sudden death to essay a first-ever finals stint in the Shakey’s V-League Season 11 First Conference at The Arena in San Juan yesterday.
Rachel Ann Daquis unloaded a match-high 26 hits she highlighted with 20 attacks while four others churned out double-digit outputs to underscore the Lady Tams’ awesome offensive sock. Bernadette Pons scored 15 points, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Mary Joy Palma fired 12 hits apiece and Genevieve Casugod added 10 markers.
Daquis mocked Adamson’s net defenders, eluding the Lady Falcons’ blockers with precision shots and power tips in a performance reminiscent of her college days when she starred for the Morayta-based squad years back.
“She just carried us through in this game,†said FEU coach Shaq delos Santos in Pilipino.
Adamson, led by Shiela Pineda and Thai Pacharee Sangmuang’s combined 35 points, matched FEU’s 58 spikes but the Lady Tams doubled their rivals’ effort off the block, scoring 12, including four from Palma and three from Casugod.
The victory thus sealed the National U-FEU showdown for the crown starting Sunday with the Lady Bulldogs, who bundled out the UST Tigresses in their own side of the semis duel, seeking a second straight championship in the season-opening conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.
It also assured a best-ever finish by FEU, a league pioneer, since the Lady Tams beat the San Sebastian Lady Staglets for third in the league’s Season 6 Second Conference in 2009.
Mylene Paat added 13 hits while Pau Soriano struggled for 10 points for Adamson, which will dispute third place with six-time champion UST.
Adamson came from behind to snatch the series opener, 19-25, 22-25, 26-24, 25-15, 15-12, but FEU struck back with a 25-22, 25-23, 26-24 decision last Tuesday to force a playoff for the last finals berth in the league backed by Mikasa, Accel and Lion Tiger Mosquito Coil.
The FEU-Adamson match will be shown today starting at 1 p.m. over GMA News TV Channel with the finals to be aired live, according to the organizing Sports Vision.