By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs moved closer to another UAAP Women’s Volleyball championship title after sweeping the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, in Game 1 of their championship series of Season 86 on May 11, 2024, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Bella Belen, the former Rookie Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the UAAP, put up an efficient all-around performance after leading the Lady Bulldogs with 13 points built from 11 successful attacks to go alongside eight excellent digs.
It was Belen who helped NU pull away midway through the second set and was the one who provided the huge hits during the tightly contested first set.
Camilla Lamina, NU’s veteran setter, orchestrated the NU offense to perfection after dishing out 17 excellent sets in just three frames.
Unfortunately for UST, Angge Poyos, their super rookie and leading scorer, went down in the second set when the score was still deadlocked at 11-all.
Poyos suffered an injured right ankle after landing on her teammate’s foot, Em Banagua, and failed to return for the rest of the game.
After Poyos went down, the Lady Bulldogs were successful in taking advantage and just pummeled the Golden Tigresses with their balanced offensive attack.
Backstopping Belen in Game 1 was Vange Alinsug who contributed 12 markers derived from 11 successful attacks together with six excellent receptions.
“Masayang masaya kasi nauna na kami sa Game 1. Nag work yung game plan kahit papaano naapply namin so masayang masaya,” said head coach Norman Miguel of NU after the win.
