By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
National University (NU) came through with more aggressive plays and disposed of Far Eastern University (FEU), 25-18, 33-31, 25-14, yesterday to book the remaining men’s championship berth in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan City.
Riding on the crest of their 25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-21 Game 2 triumph last Sunday, the Bulldogs needed only 68 minutes to dispatch the Tamaraws in the rubber match of their best-of-three semifinal series.
Bryan Bagunas starred for NU by firing 18 kills on the way to 23 points, while Kim Malabunga chipped in 12 points built on eight spikes and four blocks.
It was a revenge of sorts for the Bulldogs against the same rival that knocked them out in last year’s semifinals.
FEU eventually lost the crown to Ateneo, while NU settled for fourth place after also losing to University of Santo Tomas in the bronze-medal match.
This time, the Bulldogs will be facing the UST Tigers in the best-of-three finals starting on Sunday at the same venue.
UST swept Adamson in their own semis affair.
Apart from overpowering FEU in attacks, 44-34, NU also provided a solid defense at the net anchored on Francis Saura, who made five of the team’s 13 blocks.
Ricky Marcos and Angelo Almendras also took charge of the floor defense with combined 24 digs.