Chenie Tagaod and the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — After falling a win short of making it to the Finals last year, Chenie Tagaod and the FEU are locked in on their ultimate goal in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament.
Tagaod and the Lady Tamaraws missed an opportunity to return to the finals in Season 86 after losing their do-or-die Final Four game against the eventual champions, the National University Lady Bulldogs.
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With a stacked roster under reinstated coach Tina Salak, the fourth-year spiker has nothing in mind but bringing back FEU to the finals for the first time since 2018.
“For me, and for Tin (Ubaldo), Jean (Asis), Ann (Monares), and the other seniors, we really want to make it to the finals. If ever we’re graduating, we want to leave a mark on FEU,” Tagaod told Inquirer Sports in Filipino.
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FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Tagaod believes that they have the chance to make it but she puts a premium on continuous improvement and commitment to each other.
The all-around spiker, who averaged 7.8 points in their first four games, admitted that she had shortcomings to start the season before leading FEU to its first back-to-back wins with 11 points, five digs, and five receptions in their 25-23, 25-19, 25-20 triumph over the University of the East on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
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“It’s tough, especially in practice. As student-athletes, we really need to balance everything. What we did was prioritize both practice and school, and of course, rest is super important, too,” she said.
Tagaod also heeded coach Salak’s motivational words to learn to let go after they lost two of their first three games.
“I really needed to move on, so I kept pushing myself. I had to think carefully because, as a senior, I have to work hard. I’m the one the coaches and the younger players are counting on, so I kept working until I regained my confidence and felt like I could get back to where I was,” she said.
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As she slowly regains her lethal form, Tagaod vows to keep striving when FEU closes its first-round campaign against Adamson this Saturday at MOA Arena and La Salle on Saturday next week at Smart Araneta Coliseum.
