NATIONAL University handed head coach Sherwin Meneses a triumphant return to UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament taking down De La Salle University in straight sets, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18, before 16,624 fans to open their title defense, Sunday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
The back-to-back title seeking Lady Bulldogs showed no signs of rust in their return to the Taraflex, displaying their trademark composure against every comeback attempt by the Lady Spikers.
The straight set romp marked Meneses’ first UAAP victory in eight years, cementing a triumphant return to collegiate volleyball.
“Syempre, happy ako na nanalo kami. Five sets or three sets, parehas lang naman,” said a smiling Meneses. “Pero syempre, ‘yung three sets, medyo mahirap gawin sa La Salle, kaya happy kami na nakuha namin siya in straight sets.”
It was De La Salle’s first opening weekend loss since Dec. 2, 2012, dropping a 22-25, 13-25, 25-12, 25-21, 9-15 decision to University of Santo Tomas.
After two tightly contested sets, the Lady Bulldogs leaned on their impenetrable net defense and powerful attacks en route to a huge 20-9 advantage in the third frame.
Angel Canino stopped the bleeding with an emphatic block on Erin Pangilinan. La Salle then caught a huge break as NU seemed to have lost focus and committed three crucial errors, sparking a 4-0 run that trimmed the deficit to just seven points, 13-20.
However, the Lady Bulldogs did just enough to hold off the Lady Archers, who managed to trim the deficit to six after Canino fired a blistering cross-court hit, making it 18-24. But any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Amie Provido committed a costly service error, sealing the victory for NU.
Bella Belen spearheaded NU with 14 points on 10 attacks, three aces, and one kill block to go along with six excellent receptions, while Alyssa Solomon added 13 points, 12 of which came from attacks, in the one-hour and 30-minute encounter.
Alexa Mata, who started the game over Sheena Toring and Minierva Maaya, had a solid game in the middle with 10 points, including two blocks, while Vange Alinsug and Pangilinan had eight and seven points, respectively.
Lams Lamina took charge of the offense with 20 excellent sets on top of eight excellent digs, while Shaira Jardio patrolled the floor with 11 excellent receptions and nine excellent digs.
The Lady Bulldogs controlled most of the opening set, but Canino and Laput led a late La Salle surge, orchestrating a 5-0 run to level the score at 23-all.
Just as momentum seemed to shift, Sheena Toring delivered a clutch quick attack to bring NU to set point. Laput, who had been a steady force for the Lady Archers, miscalculated an attack, allowing the Lady Bulldogs to escape with the first set.
The second set followed a similar script, with both teams locked in a tight battle. NU held a slim 20-19 lead before Solomon took charge, capitalizing on a pair of errors from Alleiah Malaluan to ignite a 4-0 run that widened the gap to 24-20.
Alinsug then sealed the set with a precise down-the-line attack following a rare Solomon error, putting the Lady Bulldogs one step away from victory.
NU takes on an Ateneo de Manila University side reeling from a four-set loss to Adamson University on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
On the other hand, the Lady Spikers suffered their first debut loss since Season 75—a 22-25, 13-25, 25-12, 25-21, 9-15 defeat at the hands of the UST Golden Tigresses.
Shevannah Laput was the lone bright spot for La Salle, finishing with 18 points—all coming from attacks. Meanwhile, Angel Canino struggled to find her rhythm, managing just a total of seven successful attacks despite 38 attempts, as the Lady Spikers grappled with NU’s stifling defense in a hard-fought defeat.
La Salle looks to bounce back when they face off against the Shaina Nitura-led Lady Falcons on Saturday, 5:00 p.m. also at Filoil.