Nationwide College (NU) wasted little time reclaiming its kind, and order has been put again in place in Season 87 of the UAAP girls’s volleyball event after the Woman Bulldogs took aside Far Jap College (FEU) in 4 units, 25-22, 24-26, 26-24, 25-18, on Sunday evening at Sensible Araneta Coliseum.

Nonetheless licking their wounds from a shocking loss final Wednesday, the Bulldogs snuffed the combat out of the Woman Tamaraws after a gripping third set win, as a nine-point lead within the fourth had Nationwide rising to 9-1 whereas dropping Far Jap to 3rd at 6-4, half a recreation behind second-running La Salle.

Alyssa Solomon fired 30 factors, her 26 assaults, three blocks and an ace main the Woman Bulldogs again on the successful monitor of their hunt for a twice-to-beat edge within the Closing 4 that might show crucial of their title protection.

READ: UAAP: Woman Bulldogs just too good, stay good

“We’re grateful as a result of we had been in a position to recuperate—which is de facto a very powerful factor proper now,” NU coach Sherwin Meneses mentioned, however not with out swiftly recognizing that his expenses’ trek is about to develop into steeper.

“We nonetheless have loads of video games left, and groups are starting to learn one another,” he went on.

If something, the victory offers Meneses one much less factor to fret about.

Solomon, along with her season-best efficiency, is already wanting primed for the knockout levels. The identical may very well be mentioned for reigning MVP Bella Belen, who turned in one other triple-double with 18 factors, 14 digs and 13 receptions.

Vange Alinsug was simply as commendable, chipping in a double-double of 13 factors and simply as many receptions within the rebound win.

Faida Bakanke completed with 21 factors for the Woman Tamaraws, who could have little room for error in the event that they hope to remain comfortably inside the qualifying threshold.

Maroons win once more

Up subsequent for NU is Adamson, which is coming off a loss to Ateneo. FEU, in the meantime, takes on a surging College of the Philippines (UP) aspect that hopes to crack the Closing 4 after successful solely a single recreation final season after the Combating Maroons earlier dismantled College of the East (UE), 25-21, 25-18, 25-17.

Anchored on Irah Jaboneta’s all-around play of 13 factors, 9 digs and eight glorious receptions, the Katipunan-based crew rose to 5-5 general and saved themselves firmly within the hunt for a Closing 4 berth—a big leap from final season’s one-win marketing campaign.

Joan Monares chipped in 15 factors, whereas Kassy Doering had eight as UP additionally turned in its first-ever straight-sets triumph in six years.

But, regardless of the dominant outing, which got here after taking down defending champion Nationwide U, coach Benson Bocboc nonetheless noticed an enormous alternative for enchancment.

“We’re nonetheless a bit shaky,” he mentioned in Filipino through the postmatch presser. “That is already the second spherical, and we are able to’t afford to be that shaky. We’re nonetheless inconsistent with our passing, setting, and I simply hope we get to be extra organized within the subsequent recreation.”

Bocboc additionally identified that UE’s struggles performed a key function within the consequence, because the Woman Warriors repeatedly shot themselves within the foot with unforced errors.

“We gained, however we now have to think about that [UE] had loads of errors. We didn’t simply do that,” he mentioned on the heels of the win that handed the Woman Warriors their tenth straight loss in a winless marketing campaign.

Jaboneta, for her half, acknowledged this and harassed that the staff should clear up its act because the video games are actually going to be stiffer from right here on out. INQ