Ain’t done nothing yet
Defending champion National University clinched its fifth consecutive post-elimination appearance—the first in the post-Bella Belen era—as a 25-19, 25-14, 25-14 mangling of University of the East sealed the Bulldogs’ march to the semifinals of Season 88 of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
From sweeping the tournament to rule Season 84 in 2022 when Belen won Rookie-MVP, the Bulldogs are in another semifinal appearance after rising to a 9-3 record at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday, staying firmly in second place behind unbeaten La Salle.
“I’m happy we made the Final Four, but that’s not our goal,” said Vange Alinsug, the new team leader, in Filipino after delivering 11 points and 11 excellent receptions. “We still have more to work for and I know my teammates feel the same.
“We’re not done yet.”
A Final Four happening at this juncture also depends largely on how Alinsug and the rest of the Bulldogs perform against the Lady Spikers in a week, as a victory over La Salle would avert a sweep by the Lady Spikers and put that exciting round in play.
The stepladder
La Salle repeating over National U, however, would necessitate a stepladder semifinals, something which will somewhat lessen the chances of the Bulldogs—assuming they finish second—in terms of winning that one game to make it back to the title series.
In a Final Four setting, Nos. 1 and 2 get two chances to beat lower-ranked teams, just one to advance. In the stepladder semifinals, No. 2 will await the winner of the clash between Nos. 3 and 4 for a game that would determine the second finalist. A one-for-one chance.
That’s why their final game against the Lady Spikers carries a lot of weight. The Bulldogs are raring to bounce back from a four-set loss in the first round on Sunday next week at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We really have to work on this; whatever preparation we put in will show in the game on Sunday,” Alinsug said. “We also need to stay mentally strong because La Salle has great composure.
“They’re undefeated. But we’ll just keep fighting and focus on our preparation.”
NU coach Regine Diego wants to remove the pressure from the Bulldogs ahead of another rivalry game against the formidable Lady Spikers led by Angel Canino and Shevana Laput, urging them to just focus on staying consistent and playing their best.
It’s what 19-year-old super rookie Sam Cantada wants to apply in their next game after her stellar effort still came up short in the first round.
“Our past losses still hurt, but they’re over. We’ll use them as motivation,” said Cantada, who scored 11 points, built on six attacks, four aces and one block against the Lady Red Warriors. “Now it’s about going back to training and giving our best against La Salle.”
Alinsug, now the skipper, urged her teammates to stay hungry for more, as they are still far from their ultimate goal of winning a ‘three-peat.’
“We really need to stay consistent every game. And of course, we have to trust ourselves,” she said.
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