Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Jaja Santiago and her National University Lady Bulldogs are safely perched atop the standings of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament after an excellent end to their first round.
NU ended its first round campaign with a 6-1 record after turning back University of the Philippines 25-23, 25-23, 25-17, the first time in school history that the Lady Bulldogs are atop the standings.
Despite this status, Santiago stayed humble and said the second round will be a level playing field for all the teams.
“Everyone will be back to zero,” said Santiago in Filipino Sunday at Filoil Flying V Centre. “Of course we’re expecting that all teams would like to get back at us, and everyone will be stronger.”
“And of course we’ll be working harder in the second round.”
Santiago, who finished with 17 points against the Lady Maroons, said NU won’t rest on the laurels of their earlier success in the first half of the tournament.
“Maybe there’s pressure but for me I see my team on an upward momentum,” said Santiago. “We have improved drastically… towards the second round, I don’t see my team going down, in fact I see my team going up.”