Sweet 16-0: NU sweeps La Salle to end 65-year UAAP volleyball title drought
MANILA, Philippines – After more than six decades, National University at last reclaimed its throne as queen of UAAP volleyball.
The Lady Bulldogs achieved it in historic fashion in front of 12,621 fans by completing a perfect 16-0 season after a 25-15, 25-15, 25-22 win over challenger La Salle in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 84 women’s volleyball tournament best-of-three finals Tuesday night at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
NU became only the third team in UAAP women’s volleyball history to reach the feat, following the steps of La Salle in 2004 and Ateneo in 2015, as it ended a 65-year championship drought.
Alyssa Solomon, the season’s Best Opposite Spiker, and Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player Mhicaela Belen formed a one-two punch combo with 18 and 16 points, respectively, for NU’s first championship since 1957.
Best Libero Jennifer Nierva provided 19 digs and 10 receptions while Best Setter Camilla Lamina had 14 sets for the Lady Bulldogs, who did not surrender a single set against the Lady Spikers in two finals games.
Skipper Princess Robles added another feather on NU’s cap with six points and 15 digs aside from her leadership all-season long to win the Finals MVP plum after also a 12-point eruption in Game One.
The win actually served as a victory ride for NU after its stalwarts bagged all but two individual awards in the simple ceremony before yet another dominant victory.
Aside from ROY-MVP Belen who's also the Best Outside Hitter, Solomon (Best Opposite Spiker), Nierva (Best Libero) and Lamina (Best Setter), Sheena Toring also stamped her class with the Second Best Middle Blocker citation.
Faith Nisperos (Second Best Outside Hitter) of Ateneo and Thea Gagate (First Middle Blocker) of La Salle were the only other winners not from NU this season.
Apparently, all the season awardees including Nisperos and Gagate were products of the celebrated NU high school volleyball program.
For the second straight game, no player finished in double figures for La Salle with Gagate scoring only eight markers.
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