Far Eastern University showed resilience in the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge, overcoming a mid-match setback to turn back Colegio de San Juan de Letran, 25-21, 25-18, 20-25, 25-20, on Tuesday morning at the Paco Arena Events and Sports Center in Manila.

The Lady Tamaraws recovered from a sluggish third set by banking on a balanced attack from Faida Bakanke, Tin Ubaldo, Jaz Ellarina, and Gerz Petallo to secure a bounce-back victory after their five-set defeat to Adamson University last week. With the win, FEU improved to a 2-1 record to stay in the upper half of the standings in the eight-team tournament organized by Sports Vision.

Bakanke leads FEU’s balanced scoring

Bakanke spearheaded FEU with 18 points on 15 attacks, two blocks, and an ace, while Ellarina chipped in 12 points from eight attacks and four blocks. Loresco, fresh from her stint with Alas Pilipinas in the Southeast Asia V.League, added nine points in her V-League return. Petallo delivered eight points and nine excellent digs, while Ubaldo directed the offense with 14 excellent sets.

Head coach Tina Salak stressed the importance of mental focus for her players after the Lady Tamaraws avoided another extended match. “Sa skills kasi, lahat naman talented. Ang sinabi ko kanina sa huddle is this game is more on their attitude. Most likely ang sa akin lang is for them to focus more on the mental [aspect],” said Salak.

Letran’s fight falls short

Letran looked poised to force a decider after taking the third set and building an 8-4 lead in the fourth. But a 12-5 rally powered by Bakanke, Loresco, and Ellarina flipped momentum in FEU’s favor, and late errors from the Lady Knights sealed their second straight loss.

Judiel Nitura kept Letran competitive with a team-high 20 points on 16 attacks, two aces, and two blocks, while Gia Maquilang contributed 14 points along with 13 excellent receptions. However, the Lady Knights could not sustain their momentum and remained winless in the tournament.

FEU sealed the match in one hour and 51 minutes, with Petallo’s ace, Bakanke’s offspeed and block, and Maquilang’s late attack error securing their second victory of the season.