FAR Eastern University rose above .500 with its fourth win at the expense of Ateneo, 25-22, 22-25, 25-13, 25-15, to end its first-round campaign in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball in style at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday.
Tin Ubaldo led FEU with 15 excellent sets and six points to cap a dominant Morayta block party with season-high 15 total net rejections against just two from Ateneo.
Senior spiker Chenie Tagaod also logged a triple-double of 18 points, 13 excellent digs, and 10 excellent receptions.
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FEU wrapped up Round 1 with back-to-back wins, taking solo fourth place right behind leading title protagonists University of Sto. Tomas, La Salle, and National University.
"Laging nire-remind at tine-train namin, una pa lang, ‘yung block. Kasi parang laging sinasabi nila coach (Manolo Refugia), ‘pag na-block na natin (‘yung kalaban), wala na tayong gagawing iba. Point na siya. Mas madali ‘yung trabaho namin kung ma-bblock namin agad," said Ubaldo.
FEU ace spikers Faida Bakanke and Gerz Petallo converted four blocks each to take the lion's share of the Lady Tamaraws' breakthrough blocking production.
But apart from net defense, Tagaod & Co. flexed their rock-solid floor defense with 57 digs and 30 receptions to combat Ateneo's game-high 52 attacks and spoil Lyann De Guzman's triple-double of 14 points, 16 digs and 16 receptions.
Meanwhile, the Blue Eagles dropped three of their last four games in Round 1 and narrowly slid outside the top four places at 2-5 (win-loss).
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