MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE) Ateneo de Manila University is headed back to the UAAP women’s volleyball finals.

The Lady Eagles battled past a gritty Far Eastern University (FEU) squad in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 25-14, in their do-or-die showdown in the UAAP Season 81 Final 4 in front of a packed house at the FilOil Flying V Centre on Wednesday afternoon.

The hard-earned win sent the Lady Eagles to the UAAP Season 81 finals, where they will play University of Santo Tomas (UST) in a best-of-3 series for the women's championship. Ateneo is making its seventh finals appearance in eight years.

"Sobrang mas mahirap sa women's makapasok sa finals," said head coach Oliver Almadro, who led the Ateneo men's team to five straight finals appearances before taking over the Lady Eagles. "But they're here, because they really wanted na makarating dito."

Kat Tolentino led all scorers with 19 points built on 17 kills, while Maddie Madayag and Ponggay Gaston had 12 points each. Skipper Bea de Leon had 9 points, 4 of which came on kill blocks. The Lady Eagles also drew 36 free points off FEU's unforced errors.

The Lady Eagles saw their streak of six consecutive championship appearances come to an end last season, when they were ousted by the Bernadeth Pons-led FEU squad in the Final 4. This year, it appeared as though the fourth-seeded Lady Tamaraws were out to spoil their campaign once more after they claimed a five-set triumph in Saturday's game.

But Ateneo regrouped in the do-or-die contest, leaning on their veteran trio of Madayag, Tolentino and de Leon, while Gaston and Jules Samonte bounced back from subpar performances in their loss last weekend.

"We haven't changed our system," said Tolentino, who scored the match-winner. "(Coach Oliver) always said to trust in God, and I can see that in all the players' eyes."

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FEU's error-prone ways allowed the Lady Eagles to seize the opening frame. From a 22-18 lead, Ateneo reached set point due to back-to-back mistakes by the Lady Tams, before Jerrili Malabanan and Heather Guino-o scored to keep FEU alive. Unfortunately for the Lady Tamaraws, Kyle Negrito miscalculated in the final rally of the set, pushing the third ball way out to gift Ateneo the winning point.

The Lady Tamaraws displayed their grit in the second set, when they recovered from an 18-15 deficit to come away with the win. Malabanan, FEU's graduating captain, punctuated a 6-0 run with three straight hits to give her team the lead for good, 21-18, and they fended off Ateneo's last ditch rally to equalize.

In a nip-and-tuck third set where neither team could seize control, the Lady Eagles finally managed to gain some separation via a 5-2 run late that put them at set point, 24-20. Again, FEU's errors were an issue, as four of Ateneo's five points came off the Lady Tamaraws' mistakes.

But FEU refused to go away easily. Errors by Tolentino and Deanna Wong sandwiched a crosscourt attack by Heather Guino-o, making it a one-point game.

Ateneo got a break, however, when Gaston bounced a hit off the FEU blockers to claim the win, and put the Lady Eagles on the brink of the finals.

"I could see the trust of the players in each other," Tolentino later said. "That's what got us through in the close second and third set."

Now with momentum on their side, the Lady Eagles raced to a 9-1 lead in the fourth frame, then weathered a mid-set rally by FEU. Samonte then anchored a backbreaking 7-0 run on her serve, as Ateneo cruised to victory.

"We're thankful that we got this one," de Leon said afterward.

Malabanan finished her UAAP career with 18 points, while Guino-o had 12 markers, all on kills. Villareal scored 11 points for the Lady Tamaraws, who were unable to overcome an error-strewn performance this time around.

FEU libero Buding Duremdes had 31 digs and 11 receptions in a superb performance.

Ateneo now shifts its attention to the UST Golden Tigresses, who are making their first finals appearance since Season 73. Game 1 of the best-of-3 finals is on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

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