HEAD COACH: Sherwin Meneses
LAST SEASON: 12-2 (champion)
HOLDOVERS: Bella Belen (captain), Alyssa Solomon, Vange Alinsug, Sheena Toring, Erin Pangilinan, Lams Lamina, Arah Panique, Abe Pono, Shaira Jardio, Chams Maaya, Aishat Bello
SUBTRACTION: Pearl Denura
ADDITIONS: Celine Marsh, IC Cepada, Alexa Mata
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NATIONAL University has come up and cemented its status as a bonafide powerhouse in UAAP volleyball.
With a plethora of stars led by two-time MVP Bella Belen and two-time best opposite spiker Alyssa Solomon, the Lady Bulldogs have relished each and every second of their reign of sheer dominance.
Adding the sport’s first-ever Grand Slam-winning coach in Creamline’s Sherwin Meneses to the equation just made NU’s winning formula much harder to crack in the oncoming Season 87.
This dynasty-in-the-making had its first taste of modern-day glory in Season 84 when the Lady Bulldogs swept the entire tournament en route to its first UAAP women’s volleyball title in 60 years.
That campaign birthed the new-generation alphas of the sport in Belen and Solomon, who also had their first taste of championship heartbreak in Season 85 when they failed to defend the crown to a vengeance-seeking La Salle team.
A playing field tougher than ever stood in National U's way of Season 86 redemption. The odds might not have been on their side every step of the way, but they still managed to top prelims play at 12-2 and survive Far Eastern University’s Final Four scare.
Championship experience would then see the Lady Bulldogs move past a young and hungry University of Santo Tomas in a two-game finals sweep to bring the crown back to Jhocson.
On paper, it seems like it’ll just be another year of NU dominance given how all but three of the 14-woman Season 86 championship roster will return for the title defense.
However, there’s something slightly different about this season that this blue-and-gold core will have to deal with for the first - and possibly - last time.
NU's golden core going away
That golden core of Lady Bulldogs, which has practically played and won titles together since their high school days at NU-Nazareth School, is on the verge of parting ways after this year.
Belen already confirmed that Season 87 will be her last for NU despite having one more year of UAAP eligibility. The same might just go for Solomon, although she hasn’t spoken about her immediate future just yet.
READ: Belen sets sights on back-to-back titles in last year for NU
Such top-caliber players would often play their hearts out every time they step on the court as if it were their last.
This time around, it is their last, indeed.
And so, there won’t be a better time than now for the veteran crop of Lady Bulldogs to play their hearts out and uphold their newborn winning tradition to defend not only the UAAP crown, but also the school’s reputable stature as a modern-day force in the sport.
National U’s mission for Season 87 — most especially for its seniors — is clear: one last bark for one more crown.
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