Bulldogs destroy Lady Warriors with ease for twice-to-beat

SITTING DUCKS. Gracen Fernandez of UE try to save the ball off the NU Lady Bulldogs during a 2024 Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-season Championship game. NU beat UE in three sets. –AUGUST DELA CRUZ/INQUIRER

National University (NU) just had too much firepower and demolished University of the East, 25-14, 25-20, 25-17, on Wednesday to collar the second twice-to-beat incentive in Pool E of the 2024 Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Preseason Championship at Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

With Alyssa Solomon, Vange Alinsug and Bella Belen scoring almost at will, the Bulldogs needed just 79 minutes to dust off the Lady Warriors and finish classification with a 2-1 record in the second round, their only loss coming at the hands of bitter rival La Salle.

The Lady Spikers, meanwhile, are already assured of the first quarterfinal bonus in their bracket but are still gunning for a win over College of St. Benilde at press time, with the game more important to the Lady Blazers to determine who they play in the next phase.

“The system of coach Sherwin (Meneses) is slowly being embraced by the team,” assistant Karl Dimaculangan, who called the shots for the Bulldogs in place of Meneses, said in Filipino. “The players are adapting very well, that’s why they are able to execute the game plan better.”

Successful pro coach

Meneses, who is in Taiwan because of a prior commitment, is the most successful coach in the professional Premier Volleyball League. He accepted the challenge to coach the Bulldogs earlier this year.

Solomon, the reigning MVP, had nine kills and Belen had five and the same number of aces as NU’s 1-2 punch finished with 11 points each, with Alinsug accounting for 10, with eight of her kills coming in the third frame.

The quarterfinals will be played on Sunday where the top two teams from each group will play the bottom two while owning win-once privileges.

University of Santo Tomas and Far Eastern are the top two squads in the other bracket.