FROM National U’s 65-year title drought to multi-titled La Salle head coach Ramil de Jesus’ 321 wins in 28 UAAP seasons, there’s plenty of numbers to take into account when zoning in on two of the league's modern-day women’s volleyball powerhouses.
READ: UAAP rookie-MVPs Bella Belen, Angel Canino ready for date with destiny
As such, SPIN.ph picked out six numbers that carry utmost significance for the two Season 87 finalists since their brewing rivalry first broke ground back in Season 84.
Here’s the story of the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Spikers’ forthcoming championship trilogy by the numbers.
3
The Season 87 women’s volleyball finals will deliver a sought-after trilogy between NU and La Salle, the league’s last two champions.
In this oncoming best-of-three title series, there will only be three-day intervals between games scheduled on May 11 (Sunday), May 14 (Wednesday), and May 17 (Saturday), if a rubber match will be needed.
The defending champions enter the finals on a three-game win streak against the green-and-white since the second round of Season 86.
They also have the lion’s share of the most common result between the two teams — a three-set win, which the Lady Bulldogs pulled off five times in 12 meetings opposite the Lady Spikers.
However, National U has only won thrice against La Salle since Angel Canino joined the Lady Spikers in their title-winning Season 85 campaign — one of which came with Canino sidelined back in Season 86 prelims play.
Leading the Lady Bulldogs’ title-retention bid are three of their graduating seniors in Bella Belen, Sheena Toring, and Erin Pangilinan who earned their undergraduate degrees two days before the finals opener.
4
From La Salle’s former utility winger in Leila Cruz to National U’s current captain in Belen, the number four has carried significant weight for these two teams over the last three years.
Both the Lady Bulldogs (Season 84) and Lady Spikers (Season 85) defeated each other four times in their respective title-winning seasons capped by two-game finals sweeps.
Neither occasions had the two teams meet in the Final Four, as their limination round matches were always followed by title series duels.
And in NU’s case, that Season 84 championship run gave the school its fourth women’s volleyball crown.
As far as Season 87 is concerned, four NU players in Belen, Toring, Pangilinan, and two-time best outside hitter Alyssa Solomon are likely to depart the Lady Bulldogs by season’s end.
Even before the finals, they were able to leave lasting impressions this season as four blue-and-gold aces — including three of those graduating seniors — were among the league’s top 25 scorers in the eliminations.
Belen (fifth, 270 points), Solomon (seventh, 239 points), Vange Alinsug (eighth, 198 points), and Pangilinan (25th, 112 points) all made it on the list.
Not to mention that National U also topped four of six statistical departments — namely spiking (32.95 percent success rate), serving (1.54 aces per set), setting (6.17 sets per set), and receiving (39.79 percent efficiency).
As for La Salle, four Lady Spikers also made the top 25 in scoring this season.
Canino leads the way at second with 307 points ahead of Shevana Laput (fourth, 281 points), Amie Provido (20th, 153 points), and Alleiah Malaluan (23rd, 127 points).
Also something to note ahead of this title series is how two of the last three meetings between NU and La Salle were decided in four sets.
7
Seven has been a notably prominent number for both National U and La Salle in recent memory.
Since Season 84, the Lady Bulldogs have won seven times against the Lady Spikers even as the latter managed to sweep their four matches back in Season 85.
Turning back time even further, La Salle has only lost a women’s volleyball finals series seven times in the Final Four era before NU’s historic Season 84 sweep.
The last time the Lady Spikers lost a title series before Season 84 in 2022? Seven years prior in Season 77 (2015) at the hands of then-rival Ateneo.
Interestingly, before the blue-and-gold's women’s volleyball resurgence, its most common tournament placement in the Final Four era was seventh place.
The Lady Bulldogs finished second-to-last in prelims play in 10 occasions since Season 56 (1994) — the last of which being Season 74 (2012).
Looking ahead, La Salle will parade exactly seven players who were already there during their Season 85 title run.
These include Canino, Laput, Malaluan, Provido, Baby Jyne Soreño, Julyana Tolentino, and Lyka de Leon.
National U, meanwhile, has one less holdover than La Salle from their own Season 84 championship which featured Belen, Solomon, Pangilinan, former best middle blocker Toring, and former best setter Lams Lamina.
This time, will the attacking prowess of the the green-and-white jersey No. 7 in Laput shine through or will the championship pedigree of the Lady Bulldogs' newest mentor in seven-time PVL champion Sherwin Meneses reign supreme in his seventh month in charge?
12
The clock will soon strike twelve on either National U’s title defense or 12-time women’s volleyball champion La Salle’s quest for redemption.
Since Season 84, the two champion teams have had 12 UAAP duels, including the elims and finals.
Seven were won by the Lady Bulldogs, including the last three, while the other five were ruled by the Lady Spikers.
Delving further into specifics, NU’s seven wins were comprised of five sweeps and two four-setters.
Meanwhile, La Salle has won all three five-setters on top of two sweeps back from both their Season 85 elims meetings.
Also worth nothing in this regard is a numerical trend that emerged during Seasons 84 and 85.
National U and La Salle were the only teams to surpass the 12-win mark in their aforementioned title-winning campaigns.
The Lady Bulldogs were 14-0 in Season 84 prelims play while the Lady Spikers were 13-1 in Season 85.
Conversely, NU went 11-3 in Season 85, as La Salle was at 10-4 in Season 84.
This Season 87, only NU hit the 12-win mark at 12-2, as La Salle copped the No. 2 seed by winning the playoff against University of Santo Tomas, with both teams at 9-5 at the end of elims.
As such, do expect the jersey No. 12’s of both teams in La Salle captain Canino and National U’s reigning finals MVP Solomon to go all-out for the crown this year.
21
Nothing less than fireworks is to be seen once the two Manila-based schools set apart by a 21-minute drive on average cross paths for all the glory.
Not to mention, the Taft and Jhocson sides produced 21 combined wins in prelims play — 12 for National U and nine for La Salle.
Also among the key talking points entering this year’s finals is RDJ's unparalleled coaching legacy, as Season 87 will be his 21st finals appearance in 28 years at the helm.
Among the primary thrusts of the Lady Spikers' finals comeback this year? No other than Canino and her staggering 21.9-point scoring average in the elims.
On the subject of finals runs, both of their previous title showdowns had the number 21 written all over it, as well.
It was back in June 21 three years ago when NU’s straight-sets beating of La Salle in Game 2 of the Season 84 finals became the cherry on top of a 16-game tournament sweep.
Apart from Solomon’s 18 points and Belen’s 16, the rest of the team combined for 21 total points in that title-clincher through Ivy Lacsina (8), captain and finals MVP Cess Robles (6), Toring (3), Pangilinan (2), Lamina (1), and even libero Jen Nierva (1).
A year later in Season 85, the title-series opener saw Canino fire 21 points in the win and libero Justine Jazareno dish out 21 excellent digs, as Belen’s 21 attacks went for naught.
Come Game 2 in front a near-21,000-strong Mall of Asia Arena crowd — 20,514 to be exact — National U’s survival bid fueled by the team’s well-versed ball distribution (21 excellent sets) still wasn’t enough to save its title reign.
87
At this point, more than a lot has been said and reflected on when it comes to Seasons 84 and 85.
But all that matters now is Season 87.
By as early as Wednesday, a victor will be crowned and this championship trilogy won’t have an even record anymore.
For National U, it’s all about a third title in the last four seasons and a fourth overall women’s volleyball crown.
On top of that, the Lady Bulldogs are dead-set on giving their graduating seniors a golden sendoff.
Restoring lost glory will be the theme of La Salle’s championship fightback.
After dropping to third place in Season 86, the Lady Spikers aim to strike their newly-sharpened arrows and hit a golden bullseye at the Lady Bulldogs’ expense.
Round 3 of the modern-day rivalry between NU and La Salle in the grandest stage of collegiate volleyball begins on May 11 (Sunday), 5 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
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