THAT LADY IS A CHAMP
When Vange Alinsug takes the helm of the National University Lady Bulldogs next season, she will do so riding the momentum of back-to-back championships.
Maybe that’s where her confidence comes from.
Because if you ask the powerful outside hitter, she’s ready to take on the mantle of leadership of a program looking to stretch its dynastic rule in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
“I think, yes,” Alinsug answered without hesitation when asked if it was her turn to shoulder the task of leading NU next season. “Knowing that [our seniors] are leaving, I hope that those of us who will be left behind can carry this over to the next season.”
If there were doubts on the 5-foot-7 standout’s claim, they were quashed in Game 2, when she scored the final two points of a 25-19, 25-18, 25-19 victory that denied La Salle a chance at a deciding game.
Those two points effectively lowered the curtains on the era of Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon, the 1-2 outside-opposite punch that led the program to three titles in a four-season stretch.
And if those two points were not enough proof, the 22-year-old Alinsug brought home a Finals MVP trophy she shared with libero and fellow holdover Shaira Jardio
“It will be a tough responsibility because we’ll be losing tough teammates who are irreplaceable. But we’re going to work for it. We have months to do that and turn [their departures] into inspiration,” said Alinsug.
“There’s no goal you can achieve easily if you’re not working hard for it,” she added.
Belen and Solomon are confident that Alinsug, Jardio and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs have what it takes to continue a run of success that started during their high school years.
Building legacy
“We have huge trust in [players] we’ll leave,” said the three-time MVP Belen. “I have huge trust in them and our other teammates because we saw this early how hard they work. And we know them personally—they won’t take the team for granted, regardless of who graduates or moves on. I know that NU is in good hands.”
“We’ve seen how mature they are with handling the team, and how eager they are to take on the roles that will be handed to them,” Solomon said.
This smooth passing of the torch is what truly distinguishes National University from other schools in the field. The Lady Bulldogs aren’t just churning out trophies, they are building a legacy beyond fleeting brilliance.
They play the long game, too. And even back-to-back champions cannot distract them from that focus.
“We’re just going to take a vacation. After that, we get back to work, training for the next season,” said Jardio.
That “we” includes, for now, Alinsug, Jardio, ace setter Lams Lamina, middle blockers Sheena Toring and Erin Pangilinan and promising talent Arah Panique, the outside hitter who has already had a stint with the national women’s team.
They will be, Alinsug said, the leaders of the team next season.
“Even if our seniors from the first six will be leaving, they will be replaced by stronger recruits and we’ll continue to put in the work,” she said.
She hinted at a strong recruit joining the squad but pursed her lips when pressed for a name on national TV. Whoever it is, she’ll be joining a squad that’s already favored to keep its winning tradition going.
“Hopefully, this could be followed,” a smiling Sherwin Meneses, the Lady Bulldogs coach, said on the heels of the triumph at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
That’s not far-fetched.
“I know that NU is in good hands,” Belen said.
And among them is a champion whose time has come to take the lead in building on college volleyball’s vaunted dynasty.
