Despite their success, Lady Bulldogs remain hungry–a bad sign for Lady Spikers
For years, National University stood on the fringes of the UAAP women’s volleyball showcase—an outsider looking in.
The Lady Bulldogs often spoke about their future with a tinge of frustration and supposition, their seasons measured by their distance from the summit.
That’s no longer the case. These days, NU’s words are framed by expectation and excellence, thanks to a transformation in Season 84 three years ago that has turned the school from a perennial doormat to a powerhouse.
And there was no bigger proof of that than when Bella Belen spoke of her squad’s outlook right after a come-from-behind Final Four triumph that sent pesky old power Far Eastern packing—still looking to reclaim old glory.
“In the Finals, it’s back to zero,” the Bulldogs skipper and reigning MVP said. “Whoever wants to win more will win.”
If Finals foe La Salle needs proof that NU resets itself before every game, it doesn’t need look far back into this season. In the last game of the elimination round, a no-bearing assignment for the Lady Bulldogs, Belen and her teammates crushed the hopes of University of Santo Tomas by playing like there was something at stake for them.
It was that win, in fact, that breathed life into the campaign of the Lady Spikers, who pounced on a playoff for the No. 2 spot to oust the Tigresses and book a Finals berth.
That set the stage for the highly anticipated modern-era rivalry that kicks off Sunday. The Jhocson-based crew has won two of their last three tussles with the Taft squad, but they continue to speak of their assignment with the tenor of an underdog.
“We’ll go back to the drawing board to figure out what we should’ve done better in this game (against the Tamaraws) and what else we can improve heading into the Finals,” stressed Belen.
“It’s (going to be) all out … and that’s what I’ll also keep in mind for the Finals,” another NU star, Alyssa Solomon, said.
This is coach Sherwin Meneses’ first season with the league power. He has yet to spend a full year with his charges, but he is no stranger to this kind of atmosphere, having built a dynasty himself in the pros.
“NU is a champion team. They won’t back down, and that’s my observation about (the team),” the concurrent Creamline mentor said.
“Here, it’s about school pride. Volleyball is the same everywhere else. It all just boils down to the tournament. [The] UAAP is special because it is held only once a year, so everything you worked hard for the entire season, you have to show it.”
Meneses knows he shoulders the burden of upholding National’s new tradition—one it has recently built.
And he’s not backing from it.
“That’s part of it. I chose this job,” he said.
