Young Lady Bulldogs show bite against seasoned Lady Spikers

MANILA, Philippines—What most thought would be an easy cruise for De La Salle turned into must-see TV.

The Lady Spikers’ first matchup against National University in the UAAP Season 81 women’s volleyball tournament saw a young Lady Bulldogs squad nearly upset the defending champion.

La Salle escaped with a 25-10, 20-25, 27-25, 25-22 triumph, but the Lady Bulldogs made sure they got a big bite out of the Lady Spikers’ spirits.

READ: UAAP: La Salle survives NU to keep unbeaten record alive

NU, which has nine players who have yet to reach their third year in college, was unfazed by La Salle’s resume and was simply determined to put up a hell of a fight.

“We never thought that we were facing the defending champions, we just told ourselves that we will do our part and that is giving it our all during the game,” said Princess Robles in Filipino Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Center.

“What we told ourselves is that we can win.”

The Lady Bulldogs managed to steal a 25-20 win in the second set and gave the Lady Spikers all they could handle the rest of the way.

La Salle committed a combined 23 service errors in its first two games but had 14 against NU.

Lady Spikers head coach Ramil De Jesus lamented his team’s performance against the Lady Bulldogs, likening his team’s miscues to airball free throws in basketball.

As for Robles, though, their inspiring fight against the Lady Spikers would serve as a jump off point for bigger things.

“This was important for us and it was an awesome feeling,” said Robles who finished with 18 points. “It’s like my teammates and I were motivated to step up so we would be better for next game.”