National University head coach Sherwin Meneses is no stranger to championship series, especially at the professional level, where he led Creamline to seven of its 10 Premier Volleyball League titles, including a historic Grand Slam last year.
Despite his decorated career as a PVL coach, Meneses is savoring his first-ever Finals appearance as a UAAP head coach with a clear objective: to guide the Lady Bulldogs to their third UAAP women’s volleyball title in four years.
Meneses, who previously served as the head coach of Adamson University’s women’s volleyball program, made a resounding debut in the collegiate Finals.
He masterfully steered NU to a Game 1 victory over De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament, held Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
For Meneses, what sets the UAAP women’s volleyball Finals apart from the professional stage is one key element — representing the pride and values of a prestigious program like the Lady Bulldogs.
“Dito kasi sa UAAP, talagang pride ng school yung pinaglalabanan. So maraming tao, exciting yung mga games, so excited din ako na talagang makuha yung first na panalo,” Meneses shared.
“I think, hindi pa naman tapos yung laban. Yung Game 2 talaga yung paghahandaan pa namin. Kasi ako, siyempre, nasa Finals kami naglalaro. Ayun nga, sa pro maraming tao, sa collegiate din sobrang daming tao, so magandang halimbawa sa volleyball community talaga,” he added.
Beyond the goal of keeping the crowd at Jhocson engaged, Meneses also views his first UAAP Finals experience as a valuable learning opportunity, especially with head coach Ramil de Jesus on the opposite bench.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
What Meneses has accomplished at the professional level mirrors much of what De Jesus has achieved over his 28-year tenure with La Salle, where he amassed 12 UAAP titles and over 300 wins — an accomplishment Meneses hopes to one day replicate.
“I think, masaya kasi nakaharap natin si Coach Ramil. Sana makakuha din kami ng mga ganung matatangkad ngayon sa recruitment namin sa NU para makasabay kami sa kanila,” Meneses acknowledged.
“Syempre, nag-prepare kami kasi, siyempre, ang La Salle naman talaga, since talagang lahat ng recruitment napupunta sa kanila. Yung magandang mga materyales talaga ng players, talagang laging nasa kanila.”
While his first-ever UAAP Finals win is a moment Meneses will never forget, he urged himself and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs to quickly move on from their Game 1 triumph. They must immediately focus on Game 2, which will take place Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Should NU successfully defend its crown, the Lady Bulldogs will become the first team to achieve back-to-back titles in the women’s division since the Lady Spikers completed a hat-trick from Seasons 78 to 80.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
But beyond cementing their dynasty, a victory would also mark Meneses’ first title as a UAAP women’s volleyball coach — a collegiate championship that has been nearly 13 years in the making since he first became the head coach of the Lady Falcons in 2012.
“Lagi naman, kahit kaninong team, and reminders ko lang palagi is talagang maglaro ng 110%. Kung ano yung madalas naming ginagawa, gusto ko lang makita. Actually, yung chemistry ng NU nandiyan naman. Pero sabi ko nga, kailangan pagpaguran kasi wala namang champion ngayon, defending champions, so dapat mai-defend talaga namin yung crown ng NU,” Meneses shared.
“I think, yung assignment talaga is mai-defend, so talagang hindi kami magsasawang mga coaches na magremind sa kanila, magbigay ng instruction, motivation. So yun yung number 1 naman sa amin, kasi yung competitiveness ng mga players talagang nandiyan na, sobrang taas. So, I hope, sa second game namin [ng Finals], talagang malagpasan pa namin yung magandang laro nila.”
