By NIKOLE JAVIER
National University climbed to a share of first place after turning back defending champion La Salle, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22, in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday night, April 14, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
The Lady Bulldogs recovered from their opening-set blunder to finally beat the Lady Spikers for the first time in six matches or since last season that saw the Taft-based squad beat the Lady Bulldogs twice in the elims and two more in their best-of-three title series.
With the win, NU tied University of Santo Tomas for the lead – both sporting similar 10-2 cards.
More than that, they boosted their bids for a twice-to-beat advantage.
Meanwhile, the shorthanded Lady Spikers slid 9-2 in the standings as reigning Rookie of the Year-Most Valuable Player Angel Canino’s absence magnified itself even more.
Though now off her right arm sling, Canino’s right wrist was wrapped as she joined the team’s warm up prior to the game.
The Lady Bulldogs stretched their winning run to five straight games as they remained unbeaten in the second round, while the Lady Spikers saw their seven-game winning streak snap before their eyes.
In the opening set, NU found itself falling apart after giving away 11 errors which La Salle capitalized on with a 9-3 counterattack.
After the third set, though, the Lady Bulldogs seized control with a two-one set lead.
Despite La Salle’s fightback in the fourth set that saw the match lock at 22-all, NU showcased its endgame poise with a 3-0 finishing kick.
As usual, the mighty trio of NU led the way in its massive victory with Vange Alinsug leading all scorers with 22 points highlighted by 20 kills.
Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon contributed 14 and 13 markers, respectively, in the balanced attack.
Sophomore opposite spiker Shevana Laput paced La Salle with 21 points all on kills made, while Thea Gagate added 12 markers built on seven attacks and five kill blocks.
