By Ardyn Gonzales
The defending champions National University Lady Bulldogs drew the first blood as they defeated the De La Salle University Lady Spikers in the Game 1 of the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball finals, 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17, Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
NU came out strong in the first two sets, demonstrating composure and showing the depth of their bench. In the second frame, the Lady Bulldogs were down, 12-14, before Coach Sherwin Meneses pulled off a double-substitution which turned things around and sparked a 13-3 run.
La Salle, however, was not going down without a fight. Angel Canino’s heroics carried the Lady Spikers in the third set with an 11-0 run after a close 8-7 start. NU faltered and surrendered the set with a double-digit deficit.
Having more experience in the championship, NU quickly regrouped in the fourth set. Bella Belen and Vange Alinsug connived to maintain a small margin which eventually ballooned to 23-17 after a series of miscues from La Salle in the latter part of the set.
Alinsug was playing the match of her life as she provided back-to-back attacks to seal the Game 1 win. She finished with her season-high 21 points all on attacks.
Meanwhile, reigning MVP Belen was in her usual form as she tallied another triple-double performance, leading NU with 19 points, 15 excellent digs, and 10 excellent receptions. Last season’s Finals MVP Alyssa Solomon was not in her A-game and only finished with nine markers.
In the non-scoring department, Camila Lamina out-set the La Salle setters with 22 excellent sets, while Shaira Jardio lorded it over defensively with 18 excellent digs and 28 excellent receptions.
On the other side of the court, Canino produced 22 points while Shevana Laput backed her up with 16 points, including the team-high four kill blocks.
The defending champions are now 1-0 against the Lady Spikers in the best-of-three Finals series and hoping to claim the back-to-back championship on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Featured image courtesy of UAAP
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