The NU Lady Bulldogs showed their championship poise after pulling off the five-set comeback to tame the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 87 Final Four.
Defending champions for a reason.
The NU Lady Bulldogs pulled off a thrilling Final Four reverse sweep against the FEU Lady Tamaraws, 20-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-14, 17-15, to advance to the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao Saturday, May 3.
This marks the Lady Bulldogs’ fourth straight Finals appearance, dating back to their perfect run in Season 84.
The top-seed NU overcame a slow start, which saw the defending champion down two sets against the determined FEU squad, looking to force a rubber match similar to last season.
Alyssa Solomon and Vange Alinsug came alive in the fifth set, pushing NU ahead for a 5-2 lead. But FEU would not go away that easily after tying the game at 10-all.
Exchanging runs, the Lady Bulldogs and Lady Tamaraws found themselves still tied at 13-all. From there, NU turned to Solomon, who pushed her squad to match point, but was countered by rookie Lovely Lopez.
After three match points, reigning MVP Bella Belen put the Lady Bulldogs ahead 16-15, before she ended the match with a cross court kill that found the corner pocket.
Reigning MVP Bella Belen finished with a triple-double of 24 points, 14 excellent digs, and 10 excellent receptions.
NU will now await the winner of the Final Four matchup between the DLSU Lady Spikers and UST Golden Tigresses.