A tactical adjustment in the rotation worked wonders for Far Eastern University as the Lady Tamaraws hacked out a thrilling, 24-26, 26-24, 25-20, 25-19 victory over the Ateneo Lady Eagles and clinched the last Final Four berth in the 7th Shakey’s V-League at The Arena in San Juan.

Rachel Anne Daquis pumped in a game-high 22 points while Michelle Carolino had 21 underscored by six blocks as the Lady Tamaraws secured their third Final Four stint with a win coach Nestor Pamilar credited to his key rotational changes.

“We made a good adjustment in the rotation. I put Michelle Carolino in the utility spot (from center spiker), Monique Tiangco to open hitter (from utility) and Cherry Vivas to center spiker (from open-hitter),” said FEU coach Nestor Pamilar, who assumed his coaching position this conference after taking a leave last conference.

The victory booked the Lady Tamaraws into a best-of-three semifinal encounter with No. 1 San Sebastian-Excelroof starting Thursday in the same venue at 2 p.m.

The other Final Four pairing pitting No. 2 Adamson University and Lyceum will begin at 4 p.m.

It was a sweet victory for the Lady Tamaraws, who made it to the semifinals despite parading a line-up made up of 10 rookies against an intact Ateneo side powered by a Thai import.

Vivas, the reigning UAAP MVP, fired 16 points while Tiangco churned out 21 for the Tamaraws, who completed their fightback from a first down to boot out a team which looked stronger on paper.

Defense proved to be the Lady Tamaraws’ best weapon as they swatted 12 shots and limited the Lady Eagles to only 46 attacks in 189 attempts in a game where the Tamaraws showed more resilience.