UAAP volleyball: NU Lady Bulldogs eager for more improvements amid hot streak

NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Amid a four-game winning streak, the National University Lady Bulldogs feel like their performance so far still leaves a lot to be desired.

NU beat Far Eastern University, 25-17, 13-25, 25-17, 25-20, to force a two-way tie at 4-1 with defending champion La Salle in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball, but Lady Bulldogs stars couldn’t help but point out where they continue to lack.

And for good reason. They only scored 13 in the second set to let FEU game momentum and had to survive a shaky end game before wrapping things up.

“We shouldn’t have relaxed. We did all the right thins in the first set, but we relaxed in the second that’s why the outcome was like that,” said Belen, who had an all-around game with 19 points, 19 digs, and 11 excellent receptions. “We also need to lessen our errors.”

Solomon, who top scored with 25 points, added that they need to have a stronger mindset to avoid complacency in the game.

“We need to change our mindset that we can’t relax until the game is over,” said the star opposite spiker.

READ: UAAP volleyball: Alyssa Solomon, NU slowly picking up pace

NU has been on a roll since losing its campaign opener to unbeaten leader University of Santo Tomas and coach Normal Miguel is banking on the Lady Bulldog to continue to peak and gain maturity as the season rolls on.

“My players are already matured, but we still want them to continue to improve. It’s a big factor for us that we show character,” Miguel said. “It’s very natural for them to know what they’re doing inside the court. We [coaches] are blessed to have them as players.”

Defense as priority

NU Lady Bulldogs’ Bella Belen in UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament. –UAAP PHOTO

Belen and Solomon are not just flaunting their scoring prowess as they have also displayed better floor defense with the latter tallying seven digs against FEU.

“We really worked on it for months. During training, sometimes all we train for is just going after the ball. I’m happy that we’re able to apply it to the our games,” Solomon said.

The Season 84 rookie MVP, who has been doing it all for NU, added that they worked on their defense after their lackluster performance against UST.

“We noticed that we didn’t too well on defense [in our first game]. We’re trying every game to improve, especially on digging and passing but I think we can still improve more,” Belen said.

NU eyes its fifth win in a row against the struggling University of the East on Sunday at the same venue in Pasay City before its much-anticipated Finals rematch against La Salle on March 16 at Smart Araneta Coliseum.