NATIONAL University (NU) targets win No.5, but University of Santo Tomas (UST) is out to stop the rampaging Lady Bulldogs in Season 80 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball action today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City.
The Lady Bulldogs are eyeing their fifth straight win—their best start in recent memory—when they take on the Tigresses (2-2) at 4 p.m.
Ateneo de Manila, meanwhile, tries to go 4-0 after a 0-2 start when it takes on the struggling University of the Philippines (UP) at 2 p.m.
The Lady Eagles already found their groove, sweeping their last three games to climb to third place, while the Lady Maroons lost three since opening the season with a victory over University of the East.
The Lady Bulldogs will be riding the crest of their come-from-behind win over two-time defending champion De La Salle, 26-24, 19-25, 22-25, 25-17, 16-14, last week.
Babes Castillo, NU’s new head coach, is confident they won’t collapse at endgame.
“I know that we can sustain this one because the players are doing it for each other,” Castillo said. “They are working hard, they are very humble and they have no problems with their egos.”
“But we cannot fall into the trap of UST. [Cherry] Rondina is their core and heart and soul of their team,” he added.
Rondina, who stands at 5-foot-5, faces fellow Most Valuable Player front-runner Jaja Santiago (6-foot-5) in what could be a David and Goliath duel at the net.
For UST Head Coach Kungfu Reyes, Rondina is not only playing the role of David but the whole team—which lost open spiker Milena Alessandrini (shoulder) and libero Rica Rivera (knee) for the remainder of the first round.
“When it comes to height, they are taller, but we have a bigger heart,” Reyes said. “For now, we are the underdogs because NU is undefeated after four games. But when we face each other inside the court, we’re back to zero and all is equal.”
“They have Jaja, we have Sisi [Rondina]. They have a Bulldog connection between Jasmine Nabor and Jaja, while we have Tiger connections from all our players,” he added.
In men’s action, Ateneo (4-1) guns for its fifth straight victory against UP (1-3) at 8 a.m., before the 10 a.m. battle between NU and UST, both 3-1.