NU Girl Bulldogs get again on monitoring with whipping of UP Combating Maroons. –UAAP PHOTO
It’s been a season the place loads of firsts has occurred to Nationwide College (NU) in fairly a protracted whereas. First loss after 20 straight wins. First back-to-back defeats in a very long time. First time in latest reminiscence that Bella Belen had been held scoreless.
The defending champions have had sufficient of that.
“We’ve got moved on. We talked about it and made a promise that it’s going to by no means occur once more,’’ stated Belen.
It’ll take greater than daring statements, nonetheless, for NU to regain the fearsome type it flashed final season when the Girl Bulldogs went undefeated on the way in which to claiming the UAAP ladies’s volleyball crown.
“We’re a champion staff and we now have to regain our character,’’ stated staff captain Princess Robles after the Girl Bulldogs started the highway to redemption with a 25-21, 27-25, 25-19 beating of the College of the Philippines (UP) Maroons on Saturday.
The Girl Bulldogs mustered much more chew this time in comparison with final week after they had been badly bruised by the tournament-leading and undefeated La Salle Girl Spikers twice in a row final week.
Belen confirmed the way in which towards UP, the varsity that held her scoreless throughout their first-round assembly.
Therapeutic course of
NU star Bella Belen makes up for a poor efficiency towards UP within the first spherical. —UAAP MEDIA
“That was certainly one of my objectives at present. Not simply to bounce again as a staff but in addition to redeem myself as a result of I do not forget that I didn’t play [well and my usual minutes] throughout our first-round recreation towards them. I’m comfortable that our staff carried out at present,” stated final season’s rookie-MVP, who scattered 19 factors constructed round 18 assaults and had 11 glorious receptions.
The Girl Bulldogs started the therapeutic course of from these back-to-back, straight-sets losses to La Salle lengthy earlier than they took the court docket—they began by determining what went mistaken within the first place.
“Throughout the previous few days, we targeted our preparation on the issues that we lack. We’ve got to carry again who we’re as a staff,’’ stated Robles, who scored 11 factors, highlighted by 10 assaults after seeing restricted motion towards La Salle on account of a swollen proper knee.
Alyssa Solomon added 9 factors with the NU offensive generated successfully by setter Camilla Lamina, who tossed 18 glorious units.
These completely lobbed units gave Belen a number of open appears and she or he pounced on them as NU took management early in first set. The Maroons fought again as Nikha Cabasac scored a kill of NU’s blockers whereas Solomon despatched a kill lengthy, permitting As much as come inside 22-21.
However a deflection by Sheena Toring on a charging Abi Goc popped UP’s bubble simply as fast and Belen once more rose to the event and delivered a down-the-line kill that closed out the set.
“We began out sluggish and we can’t afford that in our succeeding video games,’’ stated Robles.
Belen sustained the assault within the succeeding body, serving to the Girl Bulldogs reverse a three-point deficit with quite a lot of potent hits that knotted the depend at 23.
Little doubt
NU Girl Bulldogs’ Alyssa Solomon. –UAAP PHOTO
Aly Bertolano’s push and a strong crosscourt smash by Nina Ytang saved the Maroons afloat, however an unforced error by Marianne Sotomil on the internet and Erin Pangilinan’s block on Cabasac quashed UP’s efforts.
There was little doubt on NU’s potential to finish the match within the third set because the Girl Bulldogs rushed to an 11-5 benefit anchored on Belen and Solomon.
Dannica Celis joined forces with Cabasac and Ytang and paired by the miscues dedicated by the Girl Bulldogs, UP leveled the depend at 15 earlier than Pangilinan, Solomon and Belen once more put order on the NU flooring.
Ytang’s assault produced an error and successful by Goc went large, accelerating UP’s fifth straight defeat and eighth general in 9 video games.
The Girl Bulldogs could have an 11-day respite because the match takes a break in observance of Holy Week. They’ll face the second-running Adamson Girl Falcons (7-2, win-loss) on April 12.
“We’ll put together bodily and mentally for this match. We had them in 5 units [during the first round],’’ stated Belen, who watched the Girl Falcons carry down the Ateneo Girl Blue Eagles in straight units, 25-23, 25-17, 26-24, within the different recreation.
The Blue Eagles absorbed their sixth defeat in 9 outings.
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