NU-La Salle rematch set this weekend as UAAP volleyball 2nd round opens

La Salle Lady Spikers vs NU Lady Bulldogs. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

League pacesetter National University aims to reassert its mastery over defending champion La Salle when the two teams clash in the first weekend of the second round of the UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament.

The Lady Bulldogs are seeking a repeat over the Lady Spikers after their thrilling five-set win last February 18 in what could potentially be a preview of this season’s Finals.

NU (6-1) and La Salle (5-2) will be the 4 p.m. game on Saturday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, right after the tiff between Adamson (3-4) and UP (2-5) at 2 p.m.

UST, meanwhile, eyes to prove its better than what its 2-5 record suggests when it meets cellar-dweller UE (1-6) Wednesday at 2 p.m., followed by the high-stakes face off between Ateneo and Far Eastern U.

With a season this unpredictable, every game is expected to be as crucial, but eyes are one few important rematches.

Sisi Rondina and Bernadeth Pons meet once again when UST and FEU go on a collision course anew on March 14, Wednesday.

Seething from their slim five-set defeat, Jema Galanza and the rest of Adamson are eyeing to bounce back against Ateneo’s Bea de Leon and Kat Tolentino on March 25, Sunday.

Hell-bent to atone for its four-set shock defeat to Adamson, Dawn Macandili’s La Salle will be gunning for redemption when the Lady Spikers and the Lady Falcons squabble on April 11, Wednesday.

The final playdate of the eliminations is also going to be a must-see event, with Final Four fates of each team all hanging in the balance on April 15 at Mall of Asia Arena. NU, led by MVP frontrunner Jaja Santiago, crosses paths with FEU in the 12 p.m. game, while rivals La Salle and Ateneo cap off the grind when they meet at 4 p.m. in that Sunday playdate.

Here’s the full second round schedule of UAAP Season 80 women’s volleyball tournament: