Bella Belen (proper) battles Cassie Carballo and the Tigresses in a five-set traditional earlier than sweeping the primary spherical of eliminations. —UAAP MEDIA
Nationwide U took down College of Santo Tomas (UST) in a traditional on Sunday evening, the final of seven groups the Woman Bulldogs humbled on the way in which to a first-round sweep within the UAAP Season 87 girls’s volleyball event.
And the Woman Bulldogs intend to maintain the established order within the latter half of the eliminations to inch nearer to their one true objective.
“On the finish of the day, our solely objective is to turn out to be champions,” Bella Belen mentioned in Filipino after a 23-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-18, 15-9 nipping of the Growling Tigresses earlier than greater than 12,000 screaming souls at Good Araneta Coliseum.
“So we’re going to take it one recreation at a time, win or lose. Our objective stays that we needs to be [champions] on the finish.
“It wasn’t simple, we virtually misplaced,” Belen mentioned. “So for us, our eagerness [to win] ought to at all times be there.”
In the meantime, College of the Philippines confirmed what braveness on the ground was all about within the first recreation, because the Woman Maroons withstood a report recreation by Adamson rookie Shai Nitura to drag out a 25-15, 15-25, 24-26, 25-22, 15-10 victory.
“Earlier, I reminded the crew that worry mustn’t have a spot on the courtroom,” Joan Monares mentioned. “We have to battle if we actually wish to win.”
Nitura dropped 38 factors, breaking the league single-game scoring report beforehand held by the legendary Alyssa Valdez of Ateneo in Season 75 and UST’s Sisi Rondina in Season 81 when each had 35 factors.
The Maroons closed out with a 3-4 report and can have some momentum heading into the second spherical.
The Bulldogs received for the fourth straight time over the Tigresses, who had their five-game successful streak snapped for a 5-2 report, since they misplaced to UST within the first spherical of Season 86.
No slowing down
A sweep of the title sequence final yr counts in that streak, and the Bulldogs aren’t planning on slowing down one bit as Belen and Alyssa Solomon, like they did of their rookie seasons three years in the past, powered them to an elimination-round sweep on the way in which to their first title in 65 years.
And now that they’re main this bunch on their remaining seasons, they want to obtain one thing they weren’t capable of pull off beforehand—a back-to-back championship.
Solomon led the Bulldogs with 24 factors manufactured from 21 assaults and three blocks, whereas Belen delivered 19 factors out of 14 kills, three aces and a block.
Vange Alinsug tallied 17 factors other than 10 glorious digs, Erin Pangilinan completed with 12 factors and Lams Lamina distributed the ball with 33 glorious units. Shaira Jardio did her job on protection with 20 glorious digs and 25 glorious receptions.
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“We are able to’t be complacent [moving forward],” Lamina mentioned. INQ
