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Michelle Lojo - Philstar.com
May 12, 2025 | 4:50pm
Members of De La Salle University's Valorant team pose with their championship trophy and medals.
UAAP Media Bureau
MANILA, Philippines — De La Salle University secured back-to-back championships in the UAAP Season 87 Valorant event after sweeping Far Eastern University, 2-0, in the grand finals Sunday, May 11, at the Quantum Skyview Deck of Gateway Mall 2 in Quezon City.
Reasserting its dominance in the inaugural UAAP esports event, DLSU had a perfect group stage run, sweeping University of the Easy, National University and rival Ateneo De Manila University to take the No. 1 seed in Group A with a 3-0 record.
In the semifinals, DLSU faced the University of the Philippines (similar to the previous UAAP Valorant event) and booked a grand finals slot after sweeping the Fighting Maroons, 13-7, 13-1.
But the grand finals proved to be their toughest yet as Far Eastern University, which stunned last year's finalist ADMU in the other semifinal series, was able to go toe-to-toe with the Green Archers.
“I really didn’t expect the match to be this close. Props to their coach. They didn’t win last year, but now they’re in the finals. That shows how much work they’ve put in,” said DLSU Valorant head coach Aron Orlanda.
DLSU came out with guns blazing in Game 1 with a 3-0 start. But FEU roared back behind a monster performance by Andro Lapinid, who tallied 10 kills and six assists in just eight rounds to put the Tamaraws ahead, 5-3.
However, DLSU managed to regroup, with captain Xavier Juan taking command in the second half of the map, earning the map Most Valuable Player citation with 19 kills and seven assists.
FEU continued to challenge the defending champions in Map 2, jumping to a 4-1 lead thanks to Jadine Ladines’ sharpshooting. But once again, DLSU clawed their way back, eventually tying the game at 10-all. Juan then delivered a pivotal 1v1 victory in Round 21 that sparked a title-clinching 3-0 run.
“We almost lost talaga against FEU so I needed to step up. Our team did great and I think everyone is an MVP also,” said Juan.
With Valorant’s conclusion, the UAAP’s esports calendar continues with NBA 2K25 and Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, which are set to begin Tuesday, May 13.
