FEU surged to the top of Group B, while UST and UE kept their Final Four bids alive in the UAAP Season 87 Esports VALORANT Tournament.
FEU surged to the top of Group B after surviving a tight two-game clash against Adamson University in the UAAP Season 87 Esports VALORANT Tournament held Thursday at the Quantum Skyview Deck, Gateway Mall 2 in Araneta City.
Behind clutch plays from Jadine Ladines and Andro Lapinid, the Tamaraws held off a gritty Adamson side, 13-10, 13-8, in a match that went down to the wire in both games.
Head coach Lawrence Fillarca credited the team’s preparation and trust in their system.
“Stick lang kami sa game plan, tiwala sa isa’t isa, and we executed,” said Fillarca. “First time ng ilan sa stage, may kaba pa, pero nung nakapag-init na, nakuha na nila ’yung groove nila.”
Ladines provided the spark late in Game 1, delivering a double kill in Round 22 to move FEU to match point before completing a clutch 2v3 comeback in the final round. In Game 2, Lapinid took over with 25 kills and 13 assists to help the Tamaraws hold off Adamson’s late rally.
UST, meanwhile, bounced back from an opening game loss to also defeat Adamson, 10-13, 13-6, 13-3, and move to second in Group B with a 1-1 record and three points.
Miguel Gumaru keyed the comeback, leading the Teletigers to a 9-2 blitz in Game 2 before dominating Game 3 with a blistering 9-0 start, punctuated by an ace in Round 6.
Over in Group A, UE vented its frustrations on National University with a dominant 13-2, 13-6 sweep.
Nasif Macarambon lit up the scoreboard in Game 1 with 23 kills and six assists, while John Gabriel Sunga led the charge in Game 2 as the Red Warriors pulled away from a close 6-5 contest to win seven of the last eight rounds.
With the win, UE improved to 1-1 and remains in Final Four contention heading into a crucial clash against defending champion La Salle.
All UAAP Esports matches are streamed live on Pilipinas Live and the UAAP Varsity Channel.