Bella Belen and the National University Bulldogs.
SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 volleyball tournament second round
National University can breathe a little bit higher now after practically sealing No. 1 spot within the Final 4 of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball tournament and taking the primary twice-to-beat privilege that goes with it.
The others who will join the Lady Bulldogs there’ll still have some scrambling to do heading into the homestretch of the elimination round.
With Alyssa Solomon returning and the others firing on all cylinders, the Bulldogs destroyed Ateneo, 25-15, 25-15, 25-21, on Sunday at Smart Araneta Coliseum, where University of the Philippines (UP) upset La Salle to muddle up the race for the last three spots and the No. 2 rating that carries that big bonus.
A 26-24, 18-25, 19-25, 25-22, 16-14 win by the Fighting Maroons within the second game fanned UP’s hopes of advancing after it rose to 6-6, while dropping La Salle right into a second-place tie with idle University of Santo Tomas (UST) at 8-4, to establish a wild finish to the classification phase.
With an 11-2 record, the Bulldogs appear to be out of reach for the remaining of the sector, even in the event that they lose to the Growling Tigresses at the top of their elimination round schedule on April 27.
“We won’t stop simply because we got the [incentive],” reigning MVP Bella Belen said after pouring in 16 points. “I feel we are able to still work on [our lapses] so for our game against UST, we shall be sharper.”
Essentially the most interesting aspect of the tournament, though, will come before that, as UP closes out against Santo Tomas after which Far Eastern University, needing to win each to even consider forging a playoff for the last final 4 slot.
La Salle, meanwhile, could have to take care of Adamson and super rookie Shaina Nitura before colliding with the Lady Tams in a four-day span starting on April 23, when the league resumes after the Holy Week break.
The Maroons have been out of the Final 4 for the last six seasons, and Joan Monares, rookie standout Kianne Olango and American middle blocker Kassandra Doering were chargeable for keeping them alive.
“I’m just grateful that my teammates are giving me the trust, that’s an enormous confidence boost for me,” Monares, after ending with 16 points, said.
Doering had 15 points and Olango 14, with each combining for 22 attack points.
Needed break
National will even have the longest break than any team, two weeks to be exact, and coach Sherwin Meneses said that it’s just what his team needs.
“I feel it’s good to have the long break before [battling the Tigresses] and [playing] the semifinals,” said Meneses, who remains to be licking the injuries from Petro Gazz’s toppling of his Creamline within the PVL on Saturday night.
“We could prepare longer and it’ll give time for our minor injuries to heal, so we’ll be ready for the semifinals,” he added.
Solomon, after missing two games due to a left ankle sprain, chipped in 12 points, all but one coming from attacks, with Erin Pangilinan adding 11 points. Lams Lamina finished with 17 excellent sets in orchestrating the Bulldogs’ offense as National bounced back from a shock loss to Nitura and the Falcons.
“We were shaken from [the loss to the Lady Falcons] and I noticed that the pressure was on us, so we weren’t in a position to turn it around that point [but] after that, we moved forward and went back to work,” Solomon said. INQ
