NATIONAL University brought back a familiar face to boost the Lady Bulldogs’ UAAP title-retention bid.
Regine Diego, UAAP champion as head coach with the NU-Nazareth School Bullpups and as a player four times with the La Salle Lady Spikers, returns to the fold as assistant team manager of the defending UAAP women’s volleyball champions.
It will be a full circle moment for Diego and the current crop of Lady Bulldogs — most of whom were in their final year in the juniors division during their perfect 14-game Season 82 championship run.
They’d then move up to the seniors’ ranks and complete a historic 16-game sweep of Season 84 to end NU’s 65-year title drought in women's volleyball.
Among core members of Diego’s title-winning Season 82 team who are still part of the Lady Bulldogs are reigning MVP Bella Belen, Alyssa Solomon, Vange Alinsug, Lams Lamina, Sheena Toring, Erin Pangilinan, Shaira Jardio, and Chams Maaya.
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And in that Season 82 juniors’ championship win over Adamson, Belen was hailed season MVP and 1st best outside spiker, as Alinsug copped Finals MVP honors, Solomon the best opposite spiker, and Lamina the best setter.
A former PVL head coach with now-defunct F2 Logistics, Diego will be on the same team this time with one of her coaching rivals in multi-titled Creamline shot-caller Sherwin Meneses.
After a sixth-place finish in his NU coaching debut in the 2024 Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship, Meneses began his second tour of duty right away in the ongoing Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship.
With an abundance of championship experience at their disposal, the Lady Bulldogs are primed to go all out in defending the UAAP crown come Season 87 early next year.
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