National University hardly encountered rough sailing in scoring a 25-13, 25-19, 25-16 victory over University of the East on Sunday for its fifth straight win in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 86 Women’s Volleyball Tournament at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
All 12 players in the rotation succeeded in lighting up the scorecard as the Norman Miguel-mentored Lady Bulldogs boosted their record to 5-1.
The victory served as warmup for NU going into this Saturday’s Finals rematch with De La Salle at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“We are happy that our winning streak got extended and we were able to field all the players and they all contributed,” Miguel said.
The Lady Warriors opened the second set smoking, getting a 6-2 lead but Kaye Bombita, Chams Maaya, and Bella Belen lifted the Lady Bulldogs to a 25-19 for a 2-0 advantage.
Belen tallied another all-around performance, going for 11 points, 10 digs, and five excellent receptions.
“We’re really happy that everyone helped out since our team is not trying to build a star player…what we want is for everyone to contribute so that nobody gets left behind,” Belen said.
Vange Alinsug added nine points, while Aishat Bello and Bombita contributed seven and five points, respectively, in limited minutes.
Camilla Lamina and rookie Abe Pono took turns orchestrating plays for NU with a combined 17 excellent sets.
Casiey Dongallo was limited to a season-low 11 points on a 10-of-52 attack clip and a block for UE.
The Lady Warriors’ slump continued, dropping their fifth straight game for a 1-5 record.
UE will shoot for a skid-breaking win on Sunday against winless University of the Philippines at 4 p.m., also at the Big Dome.
