UAAP WV Finals: NU Draws First Blood on DLSU

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The National University Lady Bulldogs moved a win away from capturing its second consecutive UAAP Women’s Volleyball Tournament championship title after taking down the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Spikers in Game 1, 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17, of their ongoing Season 87 grand finals on May 11, 2025, at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.

Determined to jump ahead and prevent DLSU’s aim of having a waxing hot start, the Lady Bulldogs banked on their efficient cross-court attack to gain the early momentum in the opening Game 1 of the championship series.

After suffering slow starts during their path to the grand finals, NU knew they couldn’t afford to be sloppy in the first few phases, a reminder that their head coach Sherwin Meneses instilled before the official match whistle was blown.

Spearheading NU’s blazing start was Vange Alinsug, who relieved some pressure off Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon on the offensive side of things.

Alinsug hosted a momentum-boosting 4-0 personal run in the first, followed by three unanswered spikes that steered the Lady Bulldogs to a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Just when NU thought that they could maintain their pace and send the Lady Spikers to a demoralizing 3-0 defeat, the former UAAP champs bounced back in the third and revived the hopes of the green nation after pulling off a one-sided affair.

Angel Canino was huge for DLSU during that game-saving set as she took the NU middle blockers to school with her signature down-the-line hammer spikes.

However, it didn’t take long for NU to respond to the challenge in the following set. After the Alinsug show in the first two frames, the veteran star duo of Belen and Solomon took matters into their own hands and led the Lady Bulldogs in the fourth and final period.

Belen kicked off NU’s great start, backstopped by Solomon’s timely scoring midway that put the Lady Bulldogs in a favorable position.

Picking up where she left off after that hot start in the first two sets was Alinsug, who provided back-to-back markers that officially sealed NU’s Game 1 dominance.

Arah Panique, NU’s outside hitter who came off the bench, also stepped up when the Lady Bulldogs needed her the most after sparking the team in the second set.

Alinsug top-scored NU with 21 big points built from 18 successful attacks while Solomon chipped in nine markers, five excellent digs, and three excellent receptions.

“Yung game naman hindi natin masabi, talagang yung situation sa third set kailangan lang naming tanggapin then bawi ng fourth set. Yun naman ang pinakamahalaga eh yung makarecover ka,” said NU head coach Meneses after the Game 1 win.

Can the Lady Spikers force the grand finals to a winner-take-all? Or will the Lady Bulldogs put on the finishing touches and complete the sweep on May 14, 2025?