Far Eastern University’s Alyzza Devosora (right) tries to score against College of Saint Benilde’s Chanea Basarte (1) and Fionna Inocentes in the Shakey’s Super League Unity Cup at San Andres Gym in Manila on Friday (Oct. 17, 2025). The Lady Tamaraws won, 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23. (Contributed photo)
Far Eastern University (FEU) fought off a late scare from College of Saint Benilde (CSB) to carve out a 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23 victory on Friday and clinch the last twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Shakey’s Super League (SSL) Unity Cup at the San Andres Gym in Manila.
Outside spiker Alyzza Devosora came alive in the clutch, drilling 10 of her 16 points in the deciding fourth set to help the Lady Tamaraws wrap up the second round with a 2-1 record and secure the No. 2 seed in Pool F.
The Lady Tams, fresh off their title win in the SSL National Invitationals Batangas leg, will next face the University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons — the No. 3 team from Pool E — in the knockout stage on Tuesday.
“We were focused on securing a good standing for the quarterfinals,” said Devosora. “Our goal was really to go 3-0, but we had some lapses, especially in passing. We worked on that and stayed composed to close out the last set strong.”
The Lady Blazers mounted a fiery 7-1 rally to grab a 21-19 edge late in the fourth, but FEU answered with a counter-run behind Devosora and Gerzel Petallo, who delivered key hits to seal the win.
Petallo led the charge with 17 points, while Cla Loresco added eight for the Lady Tams.
For CSB, Zamantha Nolasco and Clydel Catarig stood out with 14 and 12 points, respectively. The Lady Blazers finished with a 1-2 card and will battle Adamson University, which owns a twice-to-beat advantage, in the next round.
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines finally broke through, notching its first win after sweeping Ateneo de Manila University, 25-19, 25-15, 25-14.
Jelai Gajero powered the Lady Maroons with 12 points, while Irah Jaboneta and Sarah Ali contributed eight and seven.
“We talked about mental toughness, which was something we lacked in our earlier games,” said Gajero. “We wanted to prove that we can fight with both heart and mind. This win really boosts our confidence moving forward.”
Faye Nisperos finished with 11 points for the Blue Eagles, who remain winless and will face top-seeded University of Santo Tomas, which holds a twice-to-beat edge, in the next round.
Completing the quarterfinal cast are three-time defending champion National University, which will square off with San Beda University.
