The FEU Tamaraws continue their winning ways early into the UAAP Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
In a battle of potential Final Four contenders, it was the FEU Tamaraws who made quick work of defending champs NU Bulldogs in a weekend showdown at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
The Morayta-based spikers swept the Bulldogs 27-25, 25-14, 25-23, with the timely insertion of veteran setter Ariel Cacao and a sound defensive effort proving crucial to the statement victory.
Now the sole unbeaten team in the Season 87 Men’s Volleyball Tournament, head coach Eddieson Orcullo attributed their hot start to a basic, but equally important trait: dedication.
“‘Yung trabaho lang hindi tumitigil, kung makikita niyo ‘yung moment nung ensayo namin, simula nung last game [against UP] hanggang ngayon, hindi pa kami tumitigil and hindi pa kami nagpapahinga,” Orcullo shared as FEU improved to a 3-0 record.
“So ‘yung dedication tsaka hard work, samahan natin ng magandang pamilya sa team, talagang alam mo ‘yung result and makikita sa dulo…’Yung first set napakalayo ng score,” recalled Orcullo, as FEU came back from a 17-21 deficit on Sunday. “Medyo dun mo makikita ‘yung response ng bawa’t isa sa nangyari.”
Star opposite hitter Dryx Saavedra, who top-scored with 20 markers, vouched for the intensity of FEU’s practices ahead of the marquee matchup.
“Syempre sobrang saya kasi ‘yun nga sabi nga ni coach, ilang araw din kami walang pahinga eh, so magaan din ‘yung pahinga bukas, but after ng bukas, banat ulit. And sana tuloy tuloy ‘yung motivation ng lahat na walang makumpyansa, walang mag-relax,” he said.
The Tamaraws are on a redemption tour for UAAP Season 87, having squandered their top-seeded finish in Season 86 to the Josh Ybañez-led UST Golden Spikers. Apart from their dedication, open communication is another key contributor to their unbeaten start for the new UAAP season.
According to Saavedra, the team has made it a point to discuss the need for mental resilience, something they failed to do in Season 86.
“Siguro ang good thing sa team namin ngayon is napag-uusapan namin ‘yung about mental, talagang ‘yun ‘yung kulang namin last season eh. And sana tuloy-tuloy kasi maganda ‘yung kinalalabasan eh, ang gaan maglaro. Sobrang saya, lahat nage-enjoy lang and pinapakita ‘yung best nila,” Saavedra, a one-time Best Opposite Hitter, shared.
FEU will look to continue their hot start against the surging Ateneo Blue Eagles this March 2, followed by matchups against the Adamson Soaring Falcons, UE Red Warriors, and fellow Final Four contenders DLSU Green Spikers to finish the first round of eliminations.
For Orcullo, it’s now up to the Tamaraws to maintain their dedication and continued hunger to succeed for the rest of this season’s Men’s Volleyball Tournament.
“”Yung pagka-uhaw na lahat ng team gusto umakyat sa pinakadulo eh, siguro ‘yun lang talaga ‘yung pinanghahawakan namin. Katulad non, ang tagal [since they won against NU], from 2019, ngayon lang ulit. So dapat ‘di rin talaga tumigil eh, kayod lang nang kayod hanggang makuha namin ‘yung pinakarurok ng tagumpay namin,” the second-year head coach said.
And in doing so, FEU will have their on-court leader in Saavedra, who vowed to keep on leading by example as they try to avoid a repeat of last year’s heartbreak.
“Kagabi, nag-session kami and pinagusapan namin kung ano karakter namin sa loob ng court eh. And ‘yun nga, may sinabi din ako doon and ‘yun, kanina ko pa iniisip kaninang umaga [against NU] na dapat magampanan ko ‘yung sinabi ko na ‘yun,” he said.
“‘‘Di lang basta salita, gusto ko ipakita and i-prove sa kanila na ‘yung sinasabi ko is kaya ko gampanan.”
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.