NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
National University (NU) coach Norman Miguel has watched his team lose in an upset to University of Santo Tomas (UST) and struggle to get a win against a rebuilding Ateneo
He didn’t bother getting too technical about what needs to be done against Adamson. “Work twice as hard [with our] blocking, passing and floor defense,” he said.
The Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Falcons clash in an early battle for second place behind the surprising Tigresses, who have stunned the two favorites of this season’s UAAP women’s volleyball tournament. After beating last year’s runner-up NU, UST shocked defending champion La Salle to go 3-0 for the season.
SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 86 volleyball first round
Adamson also got back into the win column after losing to La Salle, the Lady Falcons bounced back by dropping University of the Philippines (UP) to level their card to 1-1 (win-loss).“[Against La Salle] we were overwhelmed because the opponents were so tall,” said Adamson coach JP Yude.
After watching Adamson beat UP, however, Yude said he saw that his players were starting “to get the confidence that we need for the next game against a tough opponent in NU.”
READ: Adamson fends off UP to give coach JP Yude his first win
Like Yude, Miguel is counting on his players to draw on the intangibles in that quest for a second win this season.
“We need to relax the mind,” he said. “It’s like we overthink because of the expectations [people have of the Lady Bulldogs].”