National U tears UE to shreds, but Lady Bulldogs refuse to look too far ahead to titanic clash with Lady Spikers

Alyssa Solomon drills in one of her 15 points against the Lady Warriors. —PHOTOS BY UAAP PHOTOS

While National University (NU) and Adamson University now stand on equal footing after quickly dismantling respective challengers on Sunday, the Lady Bulldogs would rather put themselves first than be shaken by tough concerns surrounding a coming clash with unbeaten La Salle.

“We’ve noticed that we hardly enjoyed our past games, so we told ourselves ‘why not bring back our old selves, the old NU that just enjoys playing on the court?’’’ said reigning league MVP Bella Belen after the Lady Bulldogs pounced on hapless University of the East (UE) to prevail, 25-23, 25-9, 25-12, at Philsports Arena in the Season 85 eliminations of the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.

Now locked in a tie with the Lady Falcons in second place at 4-1, the defending champions will face the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws (2-3) first before wrapping up the first round opposite the streaking Lady Spikers (4-0).

It is a match awaited by many, and it happens on March 22. But the Lady Bulldogs and their coaching staff refuse to be drawn to that this early.

“I’ve already talked to the team and told them that we’re going to take it one game at a time,’’ said NU coach Karl Dimaculangan. “We will prepare against FEU first and not think about La Salle yet.’’

Belen stormed back with 13 points after the potent outside hitter was benched in a winning encounter against University of the Philippines (UP) recently, while Alyssa Solomon finished with 15 points, highlighted by 14 attacks.

After their lone defeat inflicted by the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses broke a 20-game win streak two weeks ago, the Lady Bulldogs suddenly groped against the Lady Maroons next. There wasn’t a sign of those struggles against UE, though.

“In this game, we just played as a team. We brought here what we have trained for and just enjoyed it out there,’’ said Belen, who had 11 attacks and seven receptions.

Camilla Lamina delivered 17 excellent sets and libero Jennifer Nierva, who was likewise used sparingly against UP, contributed seven digs and six receptions.

Ruthless pair

Solomon and Belen ruthlessly pierced the UE defense in the second set, and it didn’t help that the Lady Warriors couldn’t get their acts together as errors hounded them.

“Before we even think about La Salle, we have to take care of business against FEU first,’’ said Dimaculangan.

Adamson, meanwhile, will be locking horns with the Lady Spikers next before closing out the first round against the University of the Philippines Lady Fighting Maroons (1-4). The Lady Falcons, too, just want to savor the moment before thinking of La Salle.

Bella Belen (left) was a consistent picture of happiness and finished with 11 kills in the Lady Bulldogs’ latest win.

“I always tell the girls that our toughest competition is ourselves. If we overcome our fears, the anxiety, and execute the things that we work on in practice, we’ll be good,’’ said Adamson coach Jerry Yee following a 25-18, 25-23, 25-19 over the Ateneo Lady Blue Eagles for its third straight win.

Ateneo keeps sliding

Trisha Tubu was all over the floor, pooling together 23 points built around 22 attacks and an ace while Kate Santiago also shone with 11 kills and nine digs for the Lady Falcons, who are now on a three-game roll.

“We trusted each other as a team and just enjoyed ourselves out there. We are capable of accomplishing more if we play our usual game and trust each other,’’ said Tubu.

Faith Nisperos had 17 points, including 16 attacks, and Vanessa Gandler added nine points while Roma Doromal contributed nine digs and 15 receptions for the Lady Blue Eagles, who saw themselves plummet to a 1-4 record with a third straight loss.

“We’re happy that we were able to execute the things that we talked about in practice,’’ Yee added.

Gandler pulled Ateneo within 24-18 in the first set, but she wasn’t ready for a Lorence Toring down-the-line strike at match point.

The Blue Eagles forged ahead in the second set, eager to reverse the trend quickly only to find themselves chasing Adamson again on a variety of hits from Toring and Tubu, who scored eight of her points in that span.

The Blue Eagles tried to claw back from two sets down with renewed vigor in the third frame. But Santiago frustrated them as she took over the scoring chores that saw Adamson pull away, 23-17, on Gandler’s missed attack.

After the Lady Falcons committed two quick errors that gave Ateneo a sliver of hope, Santiago closed it out with another crosscourt rocket.

“I joked around the team that it’s difficult to expect anything [against La Salle]. We have to focus on our execution. There’s a process that we should monitor,’’ said Yee. INQ