Lady Tamaraws claim Shakey’s Super League bronze

Far Eastern University bucked a second-set meltdown to clip Adamson University, 25-22, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20, in the winner-take-all bronze medal match of the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Preseason Unity Cup Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. 

The Lady Tamaraws banked on their veteran starters to restore order after their second unit faltered to salvage some measure of pride in the league’s centerpiece tournament backed by Shakey’s Pizza Parlor, Peri-Peri Charcoal Chicken, Potato Corner and R and B Milk Tea.

It was the trio of Faida Bakanke, Alyzza Devosora and Jazzlyn Elarina who did most of the damage for FEU, scoring 12 points each. Bakanke hammered all of her points from kills.

Setter Tin Ubaldo orchestrated the Lady Tamaraws’ balanced scoring, tallying 21 excellent sets that helped the Morayta-based squad punch in 48 attack points.

FEU’s second stringers, fielded in the second frame of the tournament using a unique all-to-play format, failed to sustain the momentum built by its starters to snatch the tight opening frame.

Head coach Tina Salak stuck with her experienced pieces in the next two sets to bag the Lady Tamaraws’ third straight third-place finish. 

“Pinag-usapan namin na kailangan naming ibalik yung sa first set na na-feel namin. Kailangan namin itong bawiin ang momentum kasi sa second set bumaba talaga ang morale. So, ang ginawa namin since marami kaming seniors, naging mentality namin na hindi dapat ganun ang mga next sets namin,” said FEU winger Gerz Petallo, who posted five of her eight points in the first set.

The Lady Tamaraws had a scare in the fourth frame after the Lady Falcons closed a three-point gap to just 20-19 after a Frances Mordi kill.

Cla Loresco sparked FEU’s 3-0 counterattack with a solid kill block followed by a Bakanke hit. Adamson committed a rotational fault in the next play before Shaina Nitura stopped the Lady Falcons’ bleeding with a kill.

But the Lady Tamaraws won’t be denied a podium finish as the Lady Falcons shot themselves in the foot with back-to-back errors that ended the two-hour, nine-minute encounter.       

“Sobrang laki nito sa amin, although bronze pa rin kami, na-defend namin ‘yung bronze. At least di kami naging zero. Sobrang laking bagay ito papuntang UAAP para sa morale ng team,” said Petallo.

FEU had a fruitful run in the competition supported by Asics, Mikasa, Smart Sports, Summit, Team Rebel Sports, Belo Deo, Eurotel-Apo View Hotel, Batangas Country Club, Executive Optical, Baic Auto Philippines, SM Tickets and PusoP.com as technical partners, after starting the season with the National Invitational Batangas Leg conquest.

League ambassador Nitura finished with 18 points off 13 kills, three kill blocks, and two aces to pace the Lady Falcons, who threw away 31 points off errors.

Mordi had 13 markers while Lhouriz Tuddao scored eight for the National Invitationals Cebu Leg winners.    

Games in the SSL Preseason Unity Cup are available live and on demand via PusoP.com and Solar Sports.