MANILA, Philippines – Picking up right where they left off in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball Final Four, NU and FEU forged another competitive thriller for the ages in their first Season 87 meeting as the Lady Bulldogs rolled to a five-set win, 25-15, 23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-8, on Sunday, February 23.
Star opposite Alyssa Solomon led the winning charge with 23 points off 19 attacks and 4 blocks, while reigning two-time MVP Bella Belen scored 21 off 13 spikes, a whopping 7 aces, and 1 block as NU stayed undefeated at 3-0.
Star outside hitter Vange Alinsug added 19 points in the back-and-forth win, while star setter Lams Lamina stayed on point with 23 excellent sets.
Reeling from two tight losses in the second and third sets, NU composed itself in the fourth and locked FEU up in a back-and-forth battle of attrition, with neither side breaking out to a big lead until the very end.
Though the Lady Bulldogs mounted a crucial 3-point lead, 24-21, Faida Bakanke and Jaz Ellarina saved two straight set points to get within one, 24-23. However, Bakanke’s next attack sailed out and not even a block touch challenge could save FEU from giving up a winner-take-all fifth set.
As expected of champions, NU somehow got calmer when the pressure was at its highest, exploding to an 8-3 lead from a 3-3 tie with a crucial 5-0 run that FEU never recovered from.
The Lady Tamaraws only got as near as 3, 9-6, off a contentious Solomon attack error, before NU leaned on a balanced attacking effort to cruise to the finish line for the match’s biggest gap since the first set’s 10-point difference.
Jean Asis paced the heartbreaking loss with 20 points, while captain Tine Ubaldo orchestrated the offense with 21 excellent sets as contending FEU fell to a 1-2 card in the season’s early goings. – Rappler.com