UAAP face-offs: NU vs UST

MANILA, Philippines —  Who let the dogs out?

Well, the National U itself did by breaking out of the leashes and punching a pair of return trips to the finals of the UAAP Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball, coincidentally, against Santo Tomas squads, too, at the close of the thrilling Final Four battles yesterday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The three-time reigning champion and No. 2 seed Bulldogs took care of business first by eliminating No. 3 La Salle, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, in just one attempt in men’s play followed by the sweet vengeance of No. 1 Lady Bulldogs later in the knockout Game 2 against Far Eastern U, 25-13, 27-25, 25-15.

Bella Belen fired 21 points on 16 hits and five aces as the twice-to-beat Lady Bulldogs avenged their stunning 23-25, 17-25, 23-25 Game 1 loss against the fourth-seeded Lady Tamaraws to notch their third straight finals appearance.

The Bulldogs, for their part, marched on to their ninth finale stint in a row behind the 23 points of Buds Buddin with solid coverages from Nico Almendras (14) and Leo Aringo (11) to stay on track for a four-peat feat.

“Syempre, sobrang masaya na we’re going to the finals again. Parang papunta na rin uli doon sa goal ng team na redemption from the start,” said Lady Bulldogs coach Norman Miguel.

“Ngayong season talagang hindi naging madali ‘yung daan namin papuntang Finals. Credit sa players ko and coaching staff ko pati sa management,” beamed Bulldogs mentor Dante Alinsunurin.

And as if the stars aligned to make it happen for only the first time in history, both NU teams will face off against the two Santo Tomas squads in Game 1 of the best-of-three series finale starting on Saturday at the Big Dome.