The Lady Bulldogs bite back.
The National University Lady Bulldogs are out to prove why they are the defending champions of UAAP women's volleyball.
On Wednesday, the Lady Bulldogs avenged their first round loss to the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses, 25-16, 25-21, 17-25, 25-14, in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament.
This time, there was no five-set breakdown for the defending champions.
"Siguro nung Round 1, masyado kaming naging kampante sa ipe-perform namin. Mas ginusto rin ng UST manalo nung Round 1," Alyssa Solomon ceded during the post-match interview.
That was not the case for Round 2 as the MVP contender posted 17 points from 15 attacks and 2 blocks.
"This time naman, kami 'yung mas gustong manalo," she said. "'Di kami pumayag na matalo kami nang ganun-ganun lang."
Solomon got plenty of help as Season 84 Rookie-MVP Bella Belen tallied 16 points while Vange Alinsug had 10.
These were enough to withstand the attack of UST, led by Eya Laure's 17 points and Imee Hernandez's 14.
"Nung fourth set, mindset namin, 'wag kaming papatalo," Belen shared to the media after the match. "Lamang na kami ng dalawang set, ano ba naman 'yung konting push na lang para matapos 'yung game?"
This time, there would be no overconfidence, no jitters, and no frets.
"Sabi namin, ibalik lang namin 'yung enjoyment sa laro," she said.
She was all too aware of UST's comebacking tendencies, and that's why they didn't want to make it a full match.
"Once maunahan kami, mahihirapan kaming humabol," Belen added.
The win pushed NU to solo second with a 10-3 record and 15 points, but this doesn't assure them of the twice-to-beat advantage just yet.
The Lady Bulldogs still need to secure the victory in their final assignment—against the Ateneo Blue Eagles—on April 29. Otherwise, the Adamson Lady Falcons could still snatch the advantage if they dispatch of the Far Eastern University Lady Tamaraws.
(With reports from Rainier Mira, Mei-Lin Lozada, One Sports Digital)