NU Woman Bulldogs rejoice after beating La Salle Woman Spikers in Recreation 1 of the UAAP Season 87 girls’s volleyball Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.internet
Coach Sherwin Meneses has by no means shied away from letting individuals know he simply inherited Nationwide College’s newly constructed custom of girls’s volleyball excellence.
He as soon as heaped praises on the Woman Bulldogs’ poise and grit within the Last 4, when a re-emerging energy virtually knocked them off their lofty perch.
And now that they’re gunning for a repeat, taking part in one other facet that may be very keen in dethroning his Bulldogs, Meneses noticed one other facet in his wards. And he didn’t mince phrases in telling everybody.
“I feel NU confirmed one thing even higher tonight—coronary heart,” he advised the Inquirer on the heels of an authoritative 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17 Recreation 1 overcome La Salle within the Season 87 best-of-three title playoffs earlier than a loud crowd at Sensible Araneta Coliseum.
“La Salle, ever since, has at all times been aggressive as a result of their recruitment is stable … [But our players’] competitiveness confirmed [in this game],” Meneses went on as he continued to distance himself from taking credit score for his crew’s prolific displaying led by Vange Alinsug.
The third-year reverse hitter led the best way with 21 factors, permitting the Woman Bulldogs to set the tone early on and blunt the Woman Spikers’ fightback after fightback earlier than 16,000 screaming followers.
Lack of focus
Save for a momentary lack of focus within the third set, the Bulldogs have been in agency command all through the match that lasted lower than two hours.
And whereas grateful for the end result, Alinsug framed the win on account of the work that they put prior to now few days.
“That is a very powerful—Recreation 1. Our six days of coaching [for this moment]confirmed outcomes,” she mentioned.
Skipper and reigning MVP Bella Belen had 17 factors to go together with 15 digs and 10 receptions, her triple double coupled with Alinsug’s good effort simply sufficient to show again a Woman Spikers crew hell-bent on placing collectively what they’d hoped to be a replay of their Season 85 encounter, the place they swept the Bulldogs for the title.
Angel Canino poured 22 in factors and added 13 receptions, whereas Shevana Laput chipped in 11 extra. However the duo couldn’t reap the benefits of the lukewarm offensive efficiency of Alyssa Solomon on the opposite finish, because the star Bulldog completed with simply 9 factors.
And with La Salle’s position gamers hardly making an affect, the Taft squad buckled underneath the relentless tempo of their enemy, and can now don’t have any different recourse however to win this Wednesday at Mall of Asia Area in Pasay Metropolis in the event that they hope for his or her season to increase.
Meneses, for his half, is already bracing for that.
“We all know La Salle. They received’t go down simply,” he mentioned. “Their preventing spirit is one thing else.”
However, understanding his gamers’ capabilities, Meneses didn’t mince his phrases. Particularly with the Woman Bulldogs on the sting of what may very well be the varsity’s first-ever back-to-back reign.
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“However we’re prepared for the stress forward. No matter form that be,” he mentioned with a smile. INQ
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