Newcomers shine in FEU's men's volleyball triumph

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Men's Volleyball Tournament Team Standings

Team W-L
*FEU           11    1
*NU             10    2
UST             7    4
DLSU          7    4
Ateneo        6    6
UP               3    8
AdU            2     9
UE               0    12
*Final Four

Games on Saturday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum

9 a.m. - UE vs UST (Men)
11 a.m. - AdU vs FEU (Men)
1 p.m. - UE vs UST (Women)
3 p.m. - AdU vs FEU (Women)

When Far Eastern University’s main hitters were misfiring, the Tamaraws leaned on unsung but timely heroes to clinch a twice-to-beat Final Four advantage in the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.

Amet Bituin made the most out of his first Season 87 start, while Lirick Mendoza hosted a block party as FEU sent Ateneo de Manila University to the verge of elimination, 25-21, 19-25, 25-23, 25-23, on Wednesday afternoon at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

With their collective efforts, the Tamaraws gained a timely playoff incentive to boost their redemption campaign, improving to an 11-1 win-loss card through 12 outings.

“Kahapon pa sa inensayo, tinry na ni coach na ako i-start. Kahit medyo may confusion sa akin, mas pinagkatiwalaan ko lang yung coaching staff at yung teammates ko na naguup sa akin kahit minsan down ako,” the FEU-Diliman High School product shared, who tallied a team-high 17 points on 16 attacks and one block with nine excellent receptions.

("Yesterday during practice, coach tried to have me start. Even though I was a bit confused, I just trusted the coaching staff and my teammates who supported me even when I was feeling down.")

A narrow third-set escape over Ateneo gave FEU much-needed momentum, opening the fourth set with a dominant seven-point, 17-10 lead fueled by two straight attacks from Dryx Saavedra, a block by Congolese middle blocker Doula Ndongala, and an ace from Bituin.

An attack error by Bituin, a crosscourt hit by Salarzon, and an ace by MVP frontrunner Kennedy Batas fueled the Blue Eagles’ 7-1 run to trim the deficit to 22-20.

Despite the late rally, the Tamaraws remained composed as a costly service error by Batas and a down-the-line hit, and a game-sealing crosscourt attack by Bituin sealed FEU’s 11th win in one hour and 55 minutes.

In a back-and-forth third-set affair, FEU broke a 21-all deadlock behind a block by Saavedra and a Mendoza denial on Batas, but Ateneo rallied behind two straight Amil Pacinio hits to knot the frame again at 23-all.

However, Pacinio committed a costly service error, while Mendoza once again denied Batas to propel the Tamaraws to a 2-1 set advantage.

“Magkaiba na yung season na previous sa season ngayon. Kailangan lang namin magtiwala ulit. Yung moment ng Season 86, nasurpass na namin ‘yon ‘eh. Ngayong season, medyo iba rin yung taya ng tao natin sa loob dahil sa mindsetting din. Nakamoveforward na kami doon, onto the next na kami,” FEU head coach Eddieson Orcullo said.

("This season is different from the previous one. We just need to trust again. The moment from Season 86, we've already surpassed that. This season, there's a different level of expectation from our team because of our mindset. We've moved forward from that, we're onto the next.")

Mendoza added 12 points on a season-high performance of eight blocks and four attacks, while Saavedra tallied 11 points on 10 attacks. Top rookie Mikko Espartero chipped in 10 points on eight attacks and two blocks with six excellent receptions.  

Mendoza's blocks total is the most by any player since Obed Mukaba had nine in NU's 22-25, 22-25, 25-14, 25-22, 15-6 first-round win over UE on March 12, 2023.

Ariel Cacao tossed in 26 excellent sets in the triumph, while rookie libero Vennie Ceballos contributed 23 excellent receptions and six digs.

FEU will next face also-ran Adamson University on Saturday, April 12, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

The Blue Eagles’ third consecutive defeat proved to be the most costly as Ateneo is now on the brink of elimination after falling to a 6-6 record, one and a half game behind third-running De La Salle University and University of Santo Tomas, who both share identical 7-4 slates.

Amil Pacinio paced the Blue Eagles in the loss with 21 points on 18 attacks and three aces, while Batas- the division’s top scorer with 222 points- was limited to 12 points on 8-of-29 attack efficiency with three aces and one block with 16 excellent receptions.

Salarzon also struggled with nine points on 9-of-30 attack efficiency but still tallied 13 excellent receptions.

Ateneo looks to avoid elimination when it clashes against defending champion National University on Sunday, April 13, at the same Cubao dome.