Lady Bulldogs, Lady Spikers rekindle rivalry as SSL finals fire off

Game Friday
(Rizal Memorial Coliseum)
6:30 p.m. – La Salle vs NU 

MANILA, Philippines — Back-to-back champion National University and La Salle bring their UAAP rivalry to the Shakey’s Super League Collegiate Pre-Season Championship in the much-awaited Game 1 of the finale Friday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Hostilities fire off at 6:30 p.m. with the Lady Bulldogs looking to move closer to a coveted three-peat albeit against a strong resistance from their UAAP archrivals Lady Spikers, who went unbeaten until the finals.

NU and La Salle met twice in the UAAP finals, exchanging crowns in Seasons 84 and 85, but the Lady Bulldogs have been the undisputed queens in the Shakey’s tilt with perfect runs in two seasons.

La Salle though gained some measure of vengeance in the elimination rounds as it snapped NU’s 28-game, two-year run with a 32-30, 14-25, 25-22, 25-21 win.

But the finale is an entirely different arena, looming to be a toss-up for the unarguably the country’s two best collegiate volleyball programs today with UAAP MVPs Bella Belen of NU and La Salle’s Angel Canino at the center stage.

“’Yung finals kasi siyempre iba na ‘yung atmosphere and level ng game so I think match naman ‘yung game,” said NU’s new mentor Sherwin Meneses, also the head coach of the prized Creamline club in the PVL, after booting out Far Eastern University in the semifinals.

“Kailangan ma-limit namin ‘yung mga basic errors namin. ‘Yung ang no. 1 target namin na maiwasan, ‘yung basic errors namin.”

Aside from Belen, Meneses will have back-to-back SSL MVP Alyssa Solomon to bank on along with the seasoned spikers in Vange Alinsug, Erin Pangilinan, Sheena Toring, Lams Lamina and rising star Arah Ella Panique from Alas Pilipinas.

La Salle, for its part, stands ready to whatever retaliation NU has in a fiery rematch since their titular showdown in 2022.

“Lagi naman naming sinasabi sa kanila na matibay ang makakalaban namin so kailangang mag-stick sila sa sistema. Importante na hindi mawala ‘yung pasa namin at ‘wag maubusan ng pasensya sa ginagawa,” La Salle assistant coach Noel Orcullo, whose wards escaped Santo Tomas in five sets in the semifinals.

Spearheading the way for the Lady Spikers are Canino, SSL National Invitationals MVP Shevana Laput, Julia Coronel, Amie Provido and Baby Jyne Soreño.