Alyssa Solomon. UAAP PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Alyssa Solomon has been National University’s stabilizer in their first two games as she poured in a career-high 28 points to survive Adamson in five sets and remain unbeaten in the UAAP Season 85 women’s volleyball tournament.
But the 6-foot-2 opposite spiker admitted that sometimes she lacks confidence.
“For me, I struggle in getting my confidence up. Sometimes I don’t have enough confidence,” said Solomon in Filipino after firing 27 kills and an ace in their 25-22, 25-19, 25-27, 25-22, 15-10 victory over Adamson on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
Thanks to her teammates, Solomon is brimming with confidence so far in their title retention bid as she emerged as the Lady Bulldogs’ top scorer in their first two games with a total of 40 points.
“My teammates give me confidence. So it pushes me to give my best every game,” she said.
The reigning UAAP Best Opposite Spiker, who won the Shakey’s Super League MVP, remains hungry to reach greater heights and improve her game.
“I always work on the things that I have to improve. Especially the things I lacked last preseason that’s what I’m working out this season in training,” she said.
NU, which swept all its 16 games last season, played its first five-set match since 2020 when the defending champion was still under previous coach Norman Miguel and former players Risa Sato, Ivy Lacsina, and Margot Mutshima.
Despite playing their first five-setter since high school, the Lady Bulldogs displayed grace under pressure and got their act together to take an early 2-0 league lead and extend their winning streak to 20 games, dating back to the 2020 season.
“We’ve been together since high school. We were in this kind of five-set situation several times before. I think we were able to bring it here in college,” Solomon said.
Solomon was happy that they survived their first five-setter but she didn’t want to play another decider, seeking to finish their next games as quickly as they can.
“I’m happy to see how the team fought well. But we still have to improve every day and work harder in practice. As much as possible, I don’t want to experience those five sets,” Solomon said.