NU seeking tenth wins in collegiate volleyball

c/o UAAP Media Team

UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Volleyball standings

Women
*NU 9 2
DLSU 8 3
FEU 7 4
UST 7 4
UP 5 6
Ateneo 4 7
AdU 4 7
UE 0 11

Men
*FEU 10 1
NU 9 2
UST 7 4
DLSU 7 4
Ateneo 6 5
UP 3 8
AdU 2 9
UE 0 11
*Final Four

Games Wednesday at the Philsports Arena

9 a.m. – UE vs NU (Men)
11 a.m. – Ateneo vs FEU (Men)
1 p.m. – UE vs NU (Women)
3 p.m. – Ateneo vs FEU (Women)

NATIONAL University hopes to regain its winning ways against last-place University of the East on Wednesday, as the defending champions press their drive for a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four of the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament at the Philsports Arena.

The Lady Bulldogs have already matched their last season's loss total after dropping two of the last three matches, all against lower-ranked teams.

Although NU remains on top of the standings, reigning MVP Bella Belen stresses the need for her squad to play with a sense of urgency in the 1 p.m. contest.

The Lady Warriors have yet to log a win in 11 matches, and the Lady Bulldogs are not willing to be their first victims.

"Dapat huwag namin intayin na ibigay sa amin yung game. Dapat kami, kailangan namin gustuhin at kailangan namin kunin kasi parang opportunity din siya sa amin na hindi porket galing kami sa talo, hindi na kami capable manalo," said Belen after NU dropped a 23-25, 25-15, 26-28, 22-25 decision to Adamson University last Sunday.

(“We shouldn’t wait for the game to be handed to us. We have to want it, and we have to take it—because it’s also an opportunity for us to prove that just because we’re coming off a loss doesn’t mean we’re no longer capable of winning.")

"Kailangan namin trabahuin yung game namin against UE kasi hindi siya magiging madali talaga kasi yung UE, palaban din sila kahit sabihin natin na winless -- marami sila pinahirapan na teams. Dapat kami, gustuhin namin yung game namin sa Wednesday para manalo," she added.

(“We need to work hard for our game against UE because it definitely won’t be easy. UE may be winless, but they’ve given a hard time to a lot of teams. We need to really want that game on Wednesday if we want to win.")

Alyssa Solomon, who was sorely missed in the Lady Bulldogs' defeat against the Lady Falcons, due to a mild ankle sprain, remains a doubtful starter as her timetable for an immediate return is still uncertain.

NU is holding a two-game cushion over Far Eastern University, which plays Ateneo at 3 p.m., and University of Santo Tomas, in the race for the second twice-to-beat slot in the Final Four.

With a 7-4 record, the Lady Tamaraws not only gained the needed separation in the race for the No. 4 slot, but they also still have a clear shot of securing a twice-to-beat berth in the Final Four.

Already much ahead of fifth-running University of the Philippines (5-6), FEU is just trailing No. 2 De La Salle (8-3) by just a game, as coach Tina Salak remains confident of her team's chances for a better ranking after the eliminations.

"Doon pa rin kami sa goal, every game na goal. Focus kami kung ano bang gameplan kasi hindi naman biro lahat ng teams ngayon. Lahat nag-iimprove this second round, ang laki ng inadjust din," said Salak after the Lady Tamaraws bested the Fighting Maroons, 25-21, 25-16, 14-25, 26-24 last Sunday.

(“We’re still focused on our goal—one game at a time. We stay locked in on the game plan because every team is no joke right now. Everyone’s improving in the second round, and there have been big adjustments.")

"Hindi rin namin pwedeng gawin na maging complacent sa standing namin. It’s because baka mawala rin sa amin. Kailangan naming panghawakan lahat ng games. Kailangan naming ipanalo yung games. Kailangan naming pagtrabahuan lahat ng skills and also dun sa mga videos na kailangan naming panoorin and aralin," she added.

("We also can’t afford to get complacent with our current standing because we might lose it. We need to hold on to every game. We need to win every game. We have to work hard on all our skills, and also study the videos we need to watch and learn from.")

The Blue Eagles, who are tied with the Lady Falcons in sixth place at 4-7, have lost two in a row and are three games out of the No. 4 spot. Another defeat will push Ateneo on the brink of missing the Final Four for the third straight season.

In the men's division, league-leading FEU seeks to secure the twice-to-beat incentive as it plays Ateneo at 11 a.m.

With the Blue Eagles desperately seeking a victory after losing their last two matches to crash out of the Final Four range, coach Eddieson Orcullo wanted his Tamaraws to remain aggressive to prepare well for the tougher battles ahead.

"Yung Ateneo, sigurado pupukpok yan. I think magiging maayos naman yung takbo, huwag lang maging kampante sa galaw natin," said Orcullo as FEU aims to improve its 10-1 record.

(“Ateneo will definitely come out swinging. I think the game will go well as long as we don’t get complacent with how we play.")

The Blue Eagles are at 6-5 and are one game out of the No. 4 spot.

Five-peat-seeking NU, sitting in second place with a 9-2 record, seeks to formalize its entry to the Final Four and move on the cusp of claiming a twice-to-beat bonus, plays also-ran UE at 9 a.m.

Coach Dante Alinsunurin is satisfied to see the Bulldogs heading in the right direction after hitting some rough patches in their campaign.

"Nagbago yung naging approach siguro namin ng coaching staff and players sa relationship namin kasi dahil doon, talagang nagkaintindihan na kami sa gusto naming mangyari," said Alinsunurin.

(“Our approach probably changed—both from the coaching staff and the players—when it comes to our relationship, and because of that, we really started to understand each other and what we wanted to achieve.")

"Dati kasi, parang wala kaming direksyon, may kanya kanyang direksyon yung coach at players. Ngayon, mas nagkaintindihan na at mas nalinawan na sa gusto naming mangyari kasi ‘yon yung importante dahil ‘yon yung susi para mas gumanda pa yung performance namin," he added.

(“Before, it felt like we had no direction. The coaches and the players each had their own path. But now, there's more understanding and clarity on what we want to happen, and that's important because it’s the key to improving our performance.")