STANDING TALL: NU dumps UP, racks up fifth straight victory

Defending champion National University (NU) flashed its fangs against University of the Philippines (UP) en route to a 25-13, 25-23, 25-22 win in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The win was the Lady Bulldogs’ fifth straight, having only dropped two sets this season when it walked the tight rope versus Far Eastern University (FEU).

“Of course, we’re happy that we got the win, but the situation in the second and third sets was different,” said NU head coach Sherwin Meneses.

NU remains on track with its flawless Season 84 campaign, where it swept all 16 games en route to its first championship in 65 years.

Despite UP’s resilience, particularly in the second and third sets, the Lady Bulldogs managed to hold their ground.

A crucial 3-0 run in the second set brought UP within a point at 24-23, but an errant serve from Bienne Bansil gifted NU the set.

In the third frame, UP erased a late six-point deficit to tie the score at 22-all, but Alyssa Solomon closed out the match with a 3-0 spurt.

Bella Belen spearheaded NU’s offense with 17 points all from attacks.

“I always tell the players that Coach Sherwin sends in, especially the younger ones, to just play their game,” Belen said.

“Sometimes, they tend to overthink, maybe because they feel pressured or because the game is really close. So I just reminded them to enjoy the moment because they were given the opportunity to play.”

Solomon added 16 points built on 13 attacks and three blocks and was named Player of the Game.

For UP, Kassandra Doering led the charge with 11 points, while former NU-Nazareth School standout Kianne Olango chipped in 10 points against her former teammates.

With the victory, NU solidified its position at the top, while the Fighting Maroons, after a promising 2-0 start, have now lost four straight to fall to a 2-4 record, trailing Adamson (2-3) and ahead of Ateneo (1-3).

In the men’s division, NU continued its dominance over UP with a four-set victory, 25-12, 25-15, 15-25, 25-22, at 9 a.m.

The Bulldogs extended their winning streak against the Fighting Maroons to 12 straight matches dating back to 2016.

Buds Buddin led the way with a game-high 22 points, including 17 attacks, three aces and two blocks. Leo Aringo and Leo Ordiales also played key roles, scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively.

UP’s Olayemi Raheem and Tommy Castrodes put up a fight with 16 and 13 points, but it was not enough to stop their team from suffering its fifth straight defeat (1-5).

Ateneo de Manila University pulled off a crucial win against University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the men’s division, snapping the Golden Spikers’ four-game winning streak with a four-set victory, 25-20, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21, at 11 a.m.

The Blue Eagles, recovering from a loss to league-leading FEU, improved to 3-2, tying De La Salle University for fourth place. Their win also spoiled the much-anticipated return of two-time Most Valuable Player Josh Ybañez, who saw limited action after missing four games due to an ankle injury.

Kennedy Batas led Ateneo’s charge with a game-high 21 points, while Amil Pacinio and Jian Salarzon added 17 and 12 points, respectively.

For UST, Jan Macam top-scored with 14 points, while Jay Dela Noche and Gboy de Vega added 12 and 11, respectively.

With the loss, UST dropped to solo third in the standings at 4-2.