Far Eastern University (FEU) — one of the country’s most successful collegiate volleyball programs — started to catch fire as it hammered convincing wins in the men’s and women’s divisions of Season 75 University Athletic Association of the Philippines yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Lady Tamaraws posted their second consecutive win after making short work of University of the East, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20, while the Tamaraws stood tall with a 25-16, 25-23, 25-19 victory over the Red Warriors to stretch their unbeaten run to five.

The trio of Gerzel Petallo, Chenie Tagaod, and Mitzi Panangin was impressive, propelling the Lady Tamaraws to their third win in five games that allowed them to break away from the four-way tie at third place together with De La Salle University, Adamson University and University of the Philippines.

The Fighting Maroons, however, have a chance to either move up or sink in the team standings as they are battling powerhouse University of Santo Tomas (UST) at press time.

FEU coach Tina Salak said now that they are slowly waxing hot, the challenge is for them to sustain the momentum and, eventually, make it to the Final Four.

From there, anything can happen as they are capable of pulling the rug from under powerhouse squads like National University, UST and La Salle.

“Looking ahead, this kind of winning trend is what we want. Our goal is to make it to the Final Four, so we aim to win the remaining games,” said Salak, a former Southeast Asian Games medalist who played a crucial role in the school’s glorious run to a total of league-best 29 UAAP women’s volleyball titles.

“However, it won’t be easy, especially against Adamson and La Salle, but we’ll give it our all.”

In the decisive third set, with the score tied at 10-all, the Lady Tamaraws found their rhythm, launching an 8-2 run capped by an ace from Petallo and back-to-back quick attacks from Panangin to establish an 18-12 lead.

UE tried to mount a comeback with three straight attacks from Khy Cepada, cutting the deficit to 21-19, but Petallo responded with two off-the-block hits, followed by a Panangin quick attack and a Tin Ubaldo ace to seal the win for FEU.

“This win was worth all the effort. It’s also a big preparation for our upcoming matches, especially against Adamson,” Salak added.

“This victory will serve as huge motivation for the players. Of course, we still need to improve certain aspects because there were a lot of lapses today.”

Petallo led FEU with 12 points on 11 attacks and one ace, while Tagaod and Panangin contributed 11 apiece.

Cepada fired 14 points while Van Bangayan added 12 hits and an ace for the Lady Red Warriors, who have yet to win in five matches.

In the men’s division, the Tamaraws delivered a well-balanced attack to dominate UE and remain unbeaten in five starts.

Setter Benny Martinez orchestrated the offense with precision, allowing multiple attackers to shine that put the Tamaraws two wins away from sweeping the first round for the first time since Season 81.

Mikko Espartero and middle blocker Lirick Mendoza led the charge with eight points each, while team captain Jelord Talisayan and Dryx Saavedra each tallied seven points for FEU which has a total of 25 UAAP titles.

Meanwhile, the Red Warriors remained at the bottom of the standings with a 0-5 record, extending their losing streak to 12 games since the second round of Season 86.

Tebs Aligayon top-scored for UE with 13 points, while Raquim Aceron and Roy Piojo contributed 11 and nine points, respectively.

Later in the day, UST men’s team cruised to a dominant 25-18, 25-19, 25-11 victory over UP, securing its fourth straight win and climbing to solo second place with a 4-1 record.

After a season-opening loss to FEU, the tandem of JJ Macam and Paul Colinares has steered the Golden Spikers to four consecutive wins.

The victory also cemented UST’s dominance over UP, marking their seventh consecutive triumph over the Fighting Maroons since Season 81.

Macam led the Golden Spikers with 15 points from 10 attacks, three aces, and two blocks, while Colinares followed with 14 points, including four aces and three blocks. Jay dela Noche also scored 14 points on 12 attacks and two blocks.