NATIONAL University bested University of Sto. Tomas, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 25-16, in Game Two on Wednesday night to win its second UAAP women’s volleyball championship over the last three seasons.
From the infamy of a six-decade title drought to a two-game sweep at La Salle's hands last season, the Lady Bulldogs’ volleyball renaissance reached a new high with their two-game sweep of the Tigresses in a fiercely fought finals.
READ: MVP Bella Belen honors her 'batallion' of supportive family members
And for the first time ever, NU made it a double celebration as the win came on the heels of the Bulldogs' four-peat in the men's tournament, ironically also at the expense of the UST Tigers.
Alyssa Solomon was feted as Finals MVP with a 22-point average in the two championship-clinching matches, topped by her conference-best 27 points built on 20 attacks, four blocks and three aces in Game Two in front of a season-high 22,515 fans in attendance.
"We're very happy kasi yung mga pinaghirapan namin sa training and as a team, talagang nakita kong nagbunga. So yung emosyon kanina, sobrang taas, sobrang iyak talaga nang iyak kasi nasuklian lahat ng pagod namin, lahat ng paghihirap namin sa training, sa school, sa lahat ng paghihirap na pwede niyong isipin, nandun na. Yun, nasuklian talaga," said two-time MVP Bella Belen.
For the league's two-time best opposite spiker and Finals MVP, overcoming the doubts and challenges embedded in a shaky start to Season 86 fueled the Lady Bulldogs to rediscover and reinvent their winning ways en route to a fourth crown for Jhocson.
"Ang dami naming times na natalo pero nu'ng mga times na ‘yun, hindi namin hinayaan na ma-stuck kami doon. Ginawa namin siya as learning (experiences) para maging better persons, players and team. May mga times din na sobrang hirap ng pinagdadaanan namin sa training kaya yun na lang din yung ginagawa naming motivation sa game na hindi kami papayag na matalo pa kami," Solomon added.
It only took five scorers for the Lady Bulldogs, four of whom led by Solomon in double figures and Belen's near-triple double with 19 points, 11 digs and nine rececptions, alongside 17 excellent sets from Lams Lamina to outlast the gritty Tigresses, most especially in the first three sets all decided by just two points.
But when it came to the eventual title-clinching fourth frame, NU's relentless pursuit of championship gold trumped UST's last-gasp fightback led by second stringer Xyza Gula (18 points) in aid of an on-the-mend Angge Poyos from a Game One ankle injury, who had her lowest-scoring game of the season with just one attack point.
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