A STATEMENT was issued during the first weekend of the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, when the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs swept the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers.
The reigning champions made it clear to the entire league that they intend to win back-to-back championships this season after overwhelming their Taft-based archrivals in their first night head-to-head showdown.
In front of 16,624 fans, NU put on a volleyball clinic against the highly-anticipated DLSU, sweeping them 25-23, 25-21, and 25-18 in their opening match on Sunday afternoon at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Not only did the Lady Bulldogs win their first game of the title defense season, but they also handed the new NU head coach, Sherwin Meneses, his first win since returning to the collegiate league.
Dominance on Full Display
After two tightly contested sets in which NU won, the Lady Bulldogs used on their impregnable net defense and powerful attacks to build an unassailable 20-9 lead in the third set.
Angel Canino attempted to stop the bleeding by placing a block on Erin Pangilinan. La Salle then got a significant break when NU appeared to lose focus and commit three important blunders, resulting in a 4-0 run that trimmed the margin to seven points.
The Lady Bulldogs, on the other hand, did just enough to fend off the Lady Archers, who cut the lead to six points with Canino’s cross-court smash, making it 18-24.
However, just as DLSU was on the verge of a comeback, Amie Provido made a critical service error, allowing NU to secure the match in a landslide.
Bella Belen led NU with 14 points on 10 attacks, three aces, and one kill block, as well as six superb receptions, while Alyssa Solomon scored 13 points, 12 of which came from attacks.
Shevannah Laput was La Salle’s only bright spot, ending with 18 points, all from attacks. Meanwhile, Canino struggled to establish her rhythm, with only seven successful attacks in 38 attempts.
Earned Not Given
There will always be a winner and a loser in sports, no matter how close or far a game may be. However, from a player’s perspective, these victories are achieved on a daily basis.
“Trinabaho po talaga ng team,” said Belen during the post game interview with the media. “Parang sa training pa lang, sinabi na namin na dapat first game maganda agad yung pasok namin as a team.”
“Kailangan yung pagtatyaga namin, andon kasi yung La Salle, champion team po sila. Palaban yung La Salle, so dapat mas palaban po kami,” she went on to say.
Meanwhile, first-year NU coach Meneses believes the win speaks volumes about his team, but more work remains to be done before they can return to the top of the mountain this season.
“Hindi lang kami nagsasawa na magsabi na meron pang ibang dapat gawin para maging mapadali ‘yung mga games,” he said. “Tulong-tulong lang kami ng mga coaches na ma-improve every training lang talaga.”
“‘Yung sistema lagi namang nandyan ‘yan eh. Syempre time lang din talaga makakapagsabi kung talagang nagiging maganda o hindi, pero nagre-respond naman yung mga players so happy kami,” he added.
Two Sides of the Taraflex
On the other side of the taraflex, DLSU head coach Ramil de Jesus’ Lady Spikers suffered their first opening loss since Season 75, falling 22-25, 13-25, 25-12, 25-21, 9-15 to the UST Golden Tigresses.
“Sabi ko nga sa mga bata, first time ko na matalo sa opening game sa 28 years ko sa UAAP,” said De Jesus. “Sabi ko, sa batch niyo pa nangyari. Medyo masakit.”
“Kailangan ko ring intindihin ‘yung side ng mga bata. Mahirap ‘yun. Alam naman natin na lahat gusto manalo eh. Siguro mas gusto lang manalo ng NU kanina.”
“Wake-up call ‘to sa kanila. Lahat naman kapag bagong team sa bagong generation, mataas ‘yung expectations kasi La Salle eh. May Shevana Laput ka, may Angel Canino ka, mataas ‘yung expectation,” he added.
Nonetheless, the NU Lady Bulldogs will face the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m., and the DLSU Lady Spikers will seek to rebound against the Adamson Lady Falcons on Saturday at 5:00 p.m., both at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
