NOTHING NEW
A third-set stumble on Sunday put National University in the crosshairs of La Salle’s vaunted fighting spirit.
But the Lady Bulldogs had seen this movie before.
In front of a roaring crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum, with the head start in the UAAP women’s volleyball title series on the line, the defending champions did what they’ve often done—fighting back, staying composed and regaining control to preserve their script.
“Even though we were dominated in the third set, we were able to bounce back in the fourth,” said skipper Bella Belen, a symbol of the program’s poise and grit. “We regrouped right away.”
It wasn’t a reactionary response—it was actually the result of countless games where they maintained composure. It was an edge they refined after going through five thrilling sets against old powers University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern University, twice this tournament.
“This isn’t our first time in a big game like this, so our mindset was just to play the way we always do, starting with how we train,” said outside hitter Vange Alinsug.
So when another challenge arose, the Lady Bulldogs barely flinched, winning 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17 to move within one win of their first-ever back-to-back title.
“The most important thing is not losing focus,” said head coach Sherwin Meneses. “[To] always recover.”
The message was simple, as it was handy. It was, in fact, echoed in practices, lulls and huddles according to Meneses.
“Volleyball is all about recovery,” he said, a seasoned coach in the pros who is tasked with preserving the school’s newly built dominance. “Hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson [from that slipup].”
Not tapering off
Alinsug embodied that composure, even earning praise from her seniors.
“I’m very proud of Vange,” said Alyssa Solomon, who didn’t even have to break so much sweat with Alinsug and Belen coming through with big numbers.
“I always say, training is the start of the competition. If you give 100 percent in training, it shows in the game.”
“It really helps that we know each other so well, especially since we’ve been teammates since high school,” Alinsug added. “Everything starts in training. If someone’s not focused, it can carry over into the game. So we make sure to talk about it and support each other. We know how to help each other bounce back.”
Belen knows that kind of effort won’t be tapering off anytime soon.
“I don’t see my teammates getting too confident heading into Game 2 because we’re never satisfied with what we do,” said the reigning MVP.
Then came the obvious for Wednesday’s return match.
“It’s not over yet. We need to win Game 2 to win the championship,” she said.
