A show of force from the defending champs NU Lady Bulldogs against the DLSU Lady Spikers caps off the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball Tournament opening weekend.
The NU Lady Bulldogs officially capped off the UAAP Season 87 Women’s Volleyball opening weekend with a show of force on Sunday against the DLSU Lady Spikers 25-23, 25-21, 25-18 to open their bid for back-to-back titles on the right foot.
What was expected to be a close contest turned into a statement win for the Lady Bulldogs, who will face the FEU Lady Tamaraws next on February 19. DLSU, meanwhile, returns to action on February 22 against Shaina Nitura and the Adamson Lady Falcons.
And with their marquee matchup now done and dusted, here’s three highlights from their opening weekend matchup.
Sherwin Meneses’ winning UAAP return
This game also marked the UAAP comeback of NU head coach Sherwin Meneses, who first made his name as a young coach with the Bang Pineda and Amanda Villanueva-led Adamson Lady Falcons in the 2010s.
Meneses has since grown into a championship-winning coach with the Creamline Cool Smashers in the PVL, which he recently led to a Grand Slam in 2024. Now, pressure is on him to translate that winning formula into the Lady Bulldogs’ UAAP repeat hopes.
The champion mentor, though, was modest about his new role with the Lady Bulldogs. For him, the Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon-led core is already potent as is, and his job is just to complement their natural skill.
“Actually ‘yung sistema naman e tinutulungan lang naman ma-improve ‘yung NU kasi talagang may sariling galing sila, ‘di lang kami nagsasawa magsabi na mayroon pang ibang dapat gawin para mapadali ‘yung mga games,” he said during the post-game press conference.
“So tulong tulong lang kami ng mga coaches na ma-improve every training lang talaga. Yung sistema lagi naman andyan ‘yan eh, syempre time lang naman din ‘yung makakapagsabi kung talagang nagiging maganda o hindi.”
The Lady Bulldogs‘ defense
On paper, the Lady Spikers still have a potent attack line including one-time MVP Angel Canino and Season 86 breakout star Shevanna Laput. While it’s true that the Lady Spikers had their unforced errors, NU’s floor and net defense prowess shouldn’t go unrecognized in this game either.
Libero Shaira Jardio and setter Lams Lamina combined for 17 of the team’s excellent digs, while Jardio (11 excellent receptions) and Belen (six excellent receptions) defended against the Lady Spikers’ services. While Sets 1 and 2 were tightly contested, the Taft-based spikers were playing catchup all game, with the Lady Bulldogs quickly snuffing out any momentum they can form.
Alas Pilipinas spiker Angel Canino was also limited to seven points thanks to NU’s strategy to target her at the service line, according to Meneses.
“Happy ako, kasi nagconnect ‘yung block namin and ‘yung depensa namin. May mga lapses pero ganon naman talaga, happy ako, 100 percent na naging happy ako sa defense namin today,” Meneses told The GAME.
What’s next in DLSU’s path to redemption?
It’s just the opening game, but Sunday’s matchup also highlighted some of DLSU’s possible gaps to fill, such as floor defense and setting. The Lady Spikers allowed a total of 47 spikes from NU, while their ongoing setter problems hindered the full potential of the Canino-led attack line from getting unleashed fully.
DLSU turned to rookie Mikole Reyes and holdover Jules Tolentino in the losing cause, with the third-year Tolentino tossing up a measly five excellent sets.
The Lady Spikers’ signature blocking prowess was also absent in this marquee matchup, being limited to four rejections as compared to National U’s six. But while it’s a bad start to the season, the Lady Spikers will have 13 more elimination games to iron the kinks within their current core. The roster isn’t too shabby either, and it’s really a matter of learning from the acid tests if they want to mount a successful redemption tour.
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.