![NU Lady Bulldogs Star Vera Belen UAAP Season 86 Women's Volleyball](https://sports.inquirer.net/files/2024/05/IMG_3158_UAAP-86-womens-volleyball-final-four-NU-FEU_Bella-Belen-scaled.jpg)
NU Lady Bulldogs star Vera Belen. –Marlo Cueto/INQUIRER.net
It's a battle that's been waged on high school fields for years. This time, National University (NU) and Santo Tomas University (UST) have elevated their rivalry to the UAAP Season 86 Women's Volleyball Finals.
„If National University wins in the do-or-die game (against Far Eastern University), it crossed my mind that I could start my high school career again,'' sophomore spiker Reg Jurado said during the Tigres' practice on Thursday. told the questioner. evening.
“I hope for a good result this time,” she added.
UAAP Schedule: Season 86 Volleyball Finals UST vs NU
In women's volleyball, the Lady Bulldogs have defeated the Tigres in every championship game the past few seasons, and Santo Tomas is hoping to change that as they meet for the first time for the senior crown.
The only Santo Tomas standout to win the title series against NU in the junior division was Kathy, a smart setter who was part of the La Salle Zobel team that shocked the vaunted National High School program in Season 81.・It's Carballo.
Carballo, Angel Canino and Aleia Malaluan led the junior Lady Spikers against the current core of NU seniors.
It’s a different level for seniors,” Carballo said. „I know that my previous opponents have also grown, like Bel (Belen). So we will fight to the end.“
All of the high school nostalgia wafting from this season's championship bracket comes from the fact that both National and Santo Tomas have managed to maintain the core of their high school programs in this UAAP era of high player transfer. There is.
homemade directory
National's current roster features 11 players from high school teams, including Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Vange Arinsug, Ramus Lamina and Erin Pangilinan.
Santo Tomas, on the other hand, has eight of its 14 players coming from its high school program.
The Golden Tigres got their first blood of the season, surprising the Lady Bulldogs with a sweep. However, the National bounced back with a four-set victory in the second round, teaching Santo Tomas many lessons.
„We hope we can correct our mistakes (in the second meeting),“ said team captain and libero Detodet Pepito.
„We were really loose (in the first game),“ Pepito added. „We didn't want to do anything but play. It was the first game (of the season), so we enjoyed the moment. But in the second round, the pressure was already on. And we beat the team. We won the first round and people said all kinds of things about us.”
Jurado agreed.
„The idea that people didn't expect much from us might have been a factor (in the first round),“ she said. “So it gave us fuel because (for us) we had nothing to lose.
„But in the (second) round we realized that we have a big chance to win trophies and things that we can achieve as a team. Maybe that's why there is pressure now.“
“We have a good chance.”
However, Tigres are confident they can break UST's 14-year title drought.
“I feel confident in my teammates and my performance in practice, so I think we have a good chance against NU,” Carballo said.
„All we need is consistency with what the coaches want us to do. We lost some stability (with the loss to NU in the second round). And we lost some of our offense. ”
The odds are very against the Tigres, who have only known defeat against this team, the Lady Bulldogs. But they don't budge.
„We already proved in the first round that we can beat them,“ Jurado said.
„We just have to work hard to get back to that performance. We certainly have a great chance to win the championship.“