National U turns back Perpetual, gains last 8

NATIONAL University proved it had more than enough firepower even without top hitter Jaja Santiago as it rolled past Perpetual Help, 25-10, 21-25, 25-16, 27-25, last night to reach the quarterfinal round of the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference at Philsports Arena in Pasig.

With Roselyn Doria and Aiko Urdas taking charge, the Lady Bulldogs came out ferocious early before proving steady in the third and fourth frames to improve to 3-0 and join San Sebastian in the next round.

Doria and Urdas combined for 29 hits, while Risa Sato chipped in 12 points and Jasmine Nabor added 11 points. Nabor also dished out 62 excellent sets for the defending champion Lady Bulldogs.

Nabor orchestrated the Lady Bulldogs’ offense, leading to 56 attack points that were more than double the Altas’ output of 27 spikes.

The win gives NU momentum heading into the carryover quarterfinals starting next week, where the Bulldogs will be joined by Group A qualifiers University of the Philippines, Far Eastern U and University of Santo Tomas.

Santiago, spearhead of NU’s title-retention bid, skipped the match to honor her commitment in a different tournament.

Her absence paved the way for Doria, Urdas and Sato to sparkle as they fashioned out the victory in one hour and 38 minutes.

It was Perpetual Help’s fourth loss in as many outings.

The match proved to be a fitting warm-up for the Lady Bulldogs in their highly awaited battle against the Ateneo Lady Eagles (1-2) on Saturday.

Ateneo needs to win to force a playoff for the third and last quarterfinal berth against the Technological Institute of the Philippines Lady Engineers (2-2).