In the last five head-to-head match-ups between National University and University of Santo Tomas, the “five-peat”-seeking Lady Bulldogs consistently had the upper hand over the redemption-hungry Golden Tigresses.
Many fans across the league attribute NU’s five straight head-to-head victories to the offensive mastery of Season 86 Finals MVP Alyssa Solomon, the all-around brilliance of two-time MVP Bella Belen, and the smooth offensive orchestration from one-time UAAP Best Setter Lams Lamina.
However, Solomon and Belen offer a different perspective.
For them, the Lady Bulldogs’ success against a star-studded Golden Tigresses squad — which features two-time UAAP Best Libero Detdet Pepito, Season 86 Best Setter Cassie Carballo, and Season 86 Rookie of the Year Angge Poyos — boils down to two key factors: competitiveness and grit.
NU showcased their grit and poise beyond their years, overcoming a fourth-set hiccup to seal a gritty five-set victory, 23-25, 25-17, 25-18, 22-25, 15-9, and close out their elimination round campaign in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament on Sunday evening at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
With a combined 49-point effort from Belen and Solomon, the Lady Bulldogs solidified their position as the team to beat heading into the semifinals, finishing the preliminaries with a 12-2 win-loss record.
In the process, they snapped the Golden Tigresses’ four-game winning streak while denying UST an outright twice-to-beat advantage.
“Ano kasi ‘eh, competitive kami as individuals so parang doon pa lang, alam na namin na kaya namin ipanalo yung games namin and ano pa ba. Yun po. Talagang — like, maski sa teammates namin, hindi kami pumapayag na matalo kami sa kanila,” Solomon shared, who finished with 23 points and six excellent digs.
“Siyempre as seniors, kami yung taga-remind sa team na kailangan hindi mawala yung fire ba sa paglalaro lalo na sa training pag may minsan tinatamad-tamad, kino-call out agad para aware sya na ganun yung ginagawa niya sa training,” she added.
While Belen echoed Solomon’s thoughts, stressing that competitiveness was once again their edge over the Golden Tigresses, the two-time UAAP MVP urged the Lady Bulldogs to strike a balance between grit and acknowledging areas for improvement as they pursue their back-to-back title bid.
This sense of urgency stems from the fact that NU’s road to its third title in four UAAP Women’s Volleyball seasons will only get tougher. They will face a rematch against a gritty Far Eastern University squad in the semifinals.
It’s worth noting that FEU not only pushed the Lady Bulldogs to their first five-setter of Season 87 in the first round, but also erased NU’s twice-to-beat advantage in the Season 86 Final Four.
Though the Lady Bulldogs ultimately swept their way to the Season 86 title, Belen urged her teammates to maintain the same level of competitiveness and grit, with the aim of leaving NU in the same way they entered the season — as champions.
“Alam naman namin na hindi siya magiging madali talaga, lalo na lahat… ‘Yung apat na ‘yon may chance na maging champion,” Belen said.
“So kami, siguro, kung papaano kami magtatrabaho, kung papaano po namin i-ma-maintain ‘yung competitiveness, ‘yung tipong hindi po napapasobra, kailangan sakto lang. And, ano… Marami pang kailangan pagtrabahuhan ‘yung team, ngayon po may scouting… ganyan… So kailangan mag-adjust kung sino man ‘yung kalaban namin.”
#WATCH: Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon reflect on NU’s thrilling win over UST to wrap up the elimination round 🏐
📹 @ernesttuazon /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason87 pic.twitter.com/mv5jqdW70M
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) April 27, 2025
