Being on prime doesn’t imply that Nationwide College (NU) has had it simple.

And regardless of being good near a month into Season 87 of the UAAP girls’s volleyball event, the Woman Bulldogs are prepared to face all the approaching challenges head-on in order that they continue to be that manner.

“We should be constant and never be complacent,” star Bulldog Bella Belen mentioned after dropping 17 factors in main Nationwide U to a fifth straight win, a 25-13, 25-23, 25-22 thumping of College of the Philippines on Sunday at Mall of Asia Enviornment.

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Belen is aware of {that a} goal’s been on their collective backs since opening day, and that efficiently defending their crown would wish the crew’s finest every sport.

“We should be extra on level in our actions, as a result of virtually all the groups are wanting and learning for tactics to beat us,” Belen mentioned. “So the problem for us is to see what else we will enhance on shifting ahead.”

In the meantime, College of Santo Tomas scored its first straight units victory of the season, a 25-20, 25-23, 25-21 ripping of Ateneo, to remain sizzling on the heels of the Bulldogs.

Angge Poyos and Regina Jurado paced the Tigresses to matching NU’s profitable streak for a 5-1 mark, ending with 19 and 14 factors, respectively. Pia Abbu chipped in with a career-best 13 factors.

Cassie Carballo tossed 17 glorious units to assist the Tigresses

Counting its final three victories from its title run final season with mentor Norman Miguel, Nationwide U is now on an eight-game profitable run. New coach Sherwin Meneses, although, would quite not dwell on this streak.

He is aware of the job is much from being carried out.

“Each coaching, we focus [on not being complacent],” Meneses mentioned in Filipino. “It’s not concerning the streak, what number of consecutive wins we’ve—it’s about how way more we will enhance to maintain on profitable.

Two wins from sweep

“That’s the place our focus is—not the profitable streak.”

The Bulldogs at the moment are simply two wins away from sweeping the primary spherical, with Adamson and final yr’s shedding finalist, College of Santo Tomas, the final two groups with possibilities of stopping that.

Alyssa Solomon can be very conscious of this.

“All of the groups are chasing us, they wish to beat us,” Solomon, who’s entertaining ideas of enjoying professionally in South Korea after ending her profession with Nationwide U, mentioned after chipping in with 16 factors. “That’s why we’ll give our greatest each sport.”

Event format requires a crew that completes a sweep to make it to the title collection outright and depart the following three groups after the double-round elimination to battle it out for the No. 2 spot in a stepladder collection.

“Nobody needs to undergo the stepladder,” Belen mentioned. “The most important problem [for us] is learn how to be constant, as a result of it’s nonetheless a protracted season, and a number of video games will nonetheless be performed and much more can nonetheless occur.

“We have to discover a approach to be higher after each sport.” INQ