The players may be different, but NU’s level of competitiveness is staying constant as the Lady Bulldogs chase their third straight championship in the UAAP.
Players have come and gone for the NU Lady Bulldogs, but few made the impact that Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon did during their time with the Jhocson-based squad.
Having left to go professional after claiming back-to-back titles in UAAP Season 87, many questioned if the Lady Bulldogs could stay competitive... even without their biggest stars to back them up.
Two matches in the new season, it’s safe to say that NU is right in the title race.
While most of the credit would rightly go to ace rookie Sam Cantada, who has churned out 21 points and 16 points in their first two games, there is also the consistency of NU’s program and the steady growth of players throughout the years.
Among those who have been witness to NU’s growth are veteran players Vange Alinsug and Arah Panique.
In Season 88, both are playing bigger roles than they did in previous years, especially as Alinsug takes over the captaincy in their title defense.
For the two players, the Lady Bulldogs may look different this time, but they’re far from being incapable.
Rather, the opposite holds true if their triumphant 2-0 start is anything to base off of, downing title contender UST in their opening game before following it up with a three-set beatdown of Adamson.
As far as they’re concerned, there isn’t much that’s change.
“Talagang merong nawala kasi iba yung impact sa team namin eh, pero ngayon kasi, nakikita ko rin sa team namin is kaya namin din. Kung ano yung naiwan nila na dynasty, kaya din namin,” said Alinsug.
“Bumuo kami ng team namin na ganon. And also, happy lang din kasi kami kasi yung seniors na grumaduate na is madaming natutunan talaga kami, especially kela Ate Belle, Ate Aly, and also Ate Erin [Pangilinan] and Ate Sheena [Toring],” she added.
[RELATED: UAAP: Sam Cantada lifts NU Lady Bulldogs past former team Adamson for 2-0 start]
Skills-wise, Panique also touched on the constancy of their program.
That is, no matter where you are on the rotation, each Lady Bulldog receives the same type of treatment in training. Now that they’re thrust into starting roles, they’ll just need to make it count.
“For me po, wala naman pong nagbago kasi lagi naman po sinasabi sa amin, kung may mawawala, may papalit naman po. Which is ano naman po kasi, same lang po kami ng skills. Kung anong kaya ng seniors namin na nawala, kaya din po namin,” she said.
Achieving a three-peat will be easier said than done, though, as the rest of the UAAP season still looms for the Lady Bulldogs.
NU wraps up a busy week with their third game in six days against the FEU Lady Tamaraws on Saturday, February 21, at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.