ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Collegiate devider Adamson strikes back at FEU, books first semis ticket since Season 85

Adamson strikes back at FEU, books first semis ticket since Season 85

Published Apr 18, 2026 08:02 pm

At A Glance

  • Adamson flexed its might and struck back at Far Eastern University, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23, to complete its Final Four return in the UAAP Season 88 women's volleyball tournament at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila Saturday, April 18.
Shai Nitura leads Adamson's return to its first Final Four appearance since Season 85. (UAAP Media)
Shai Nitura leads Adamson's return to its first Final Four appearance since Season 85. (UAAP Media)
Adamson flexed its might and struck back at Far Eastern University, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23, to complete its Final Four return in the UAAP Season 88 women’s volleyball tournament at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila Saturday, April 18.
After a superb opening set and a second-set escape, the Lady Falcons seized control in the third and fended off the repeated attempts of the Lady Tamaraws to extend the match.
Shai Nitura and Frances Mordi refused to back down and delivered the finishing touches to seal the win for the San Marcelino-based squad.
The win lifted Adamson to a 9-5 slate and clinched a return ticket to the semifinals for the first time since Season 85 in 2023, when Trisha Tubu, Kate Santiago, and Lorene Toring led the charge.
It will also mark the first semis appearance for Nitura, Mordi, and setter Fhei Sagaysay.
They also have a chance to steal the twice-to-beat edge if reigning champion National University (9-3) falls in straight sets in its final two matches.
On the other hand, the Tina Salak-mentored crew dropped to 7-6.
University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses (7-5) could book the last Final Four spot if wins its final two games.
If UST drops its final two matches and FEU defeats Ateneo (2-11), the Gerz Petallo-skippered crew will clinch the No. 4 seed.
Otherwise, a playoff between the two sides will decide the last Final Four berth.
Nitura, last year’s Rookie of the Year and an MVP plum contender, dazzled anew with 18 points off 12 spikes, two blocks, and four aces along with six excellent digs and 10 excellent receptions. Mordi, for her part, collected 12 points, eight digs, and six receptions.
Lhouriz Tuddao also impressed with 10 points, MJ Aseo and Princess Dote conspired for nine points, while Sagaysay posted 19 excellent sets, one point, and three digs. Althea Aposaga logged 10 digs and seven receptions.
Petallo paced FEU with 11 points, five digs, and nine receptions, while Aly Devosora added nine points in a losing effort. Other usual contributors struggled as Jaz Ellarina, Faida Bakanke, and Lovely Lopez were limited to six, five, and three points, respectively.
Meanwhile, FEU displayed steely nerves and eked past Adamson, 26-24, 22-25, 23-25, 25-9, 15-12, to seize the top seed in the men’s division ahead of the Final Four.
Trailing 1-2, the Tamaraws swung the momentum back on their side and dominated the fourth set to force a decider, then sustained the surge in the extension behind an 11-6 lead to thwart the Soaring Falcons’ final push, with Mikko Espartero delivering the finishing blow in the two-hour, 10-minute match.
FEU went four in a row to boost its record to 12-1 for an assured hold on the No. 1 spot, while Adamson fell to 3-11 hole at the bottom of the standings.
Espartero took control with 22 points and 19 excellent receptions, while Dryx Saavedra added 17 points for the Tamaraws, who take on potential semifinal foe in Ateneo (7-6) for its final game this Wednesday, April 22, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum,
Ariel Cacao engineered FEU’s offense anew with 33 excellent sets, while Lirick Mendoza and Amet Bituin contributed 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Richard Besorio anchored the Falcons with 17 points and 16 excellent receptions, while Zyro Ornos and Ahmed Tahiluddin scored 12 points apiece for Adamson, which faces University of the Philippines (3-10) to close out their season.

Related Tags

Shai Nitura Adamson Lady Falcons UAAP Season 88 Gerz Petallo FEU Lady Tamaraws
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.