NU Spikers Too Hot For Perpetual

National University showed fellow newcomer University of Perpetual Help that it has a lot of catching up to do as the Lady Bulldogs handily beat the Lady Altas, 25-14, 25-20, 25-22, Thursday in the 7th Shakey's V-League at The Arena in San Juan City.

Superior on all fronts, the Lady Bulldogs got off to strong start and never looked back on the way to posting their second win.

It was a redemptions of sorts as they dropped a five-setter against Adamson University on Sunday. "After that loss (against Adamson), we knew we had to bounce back. So we really prepared hard for this one," NU coach Francis Vicente said in Filipino.

Last Monday, the Lady Bulldogs made extra efforts in their preparation for Thursday's game as they watched the videos of the Altas' games in a bid to map out a solid battle plan.

Their efforts paid off.

Covering all bases, the Lady Bulldogs roared to an early 11-5 lead which was enough to unsettle their rivals for a 2-1. They just needed a little over an hour to wrap up the match – thanks to the sterling efforts of power-hitting Mervic Mangui and guest player Dindin Santiago, who fired 14 points apiece.

"They (Lady Altas) beat a regular team and sent their games in five sets ," Vicente said. "So beating them in straight set is something."

In the second game, guest player Michelle Laborte sparkled in the fifth set as Adamson University turned back Lyceum, 25-20, 22-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-7.

The Bacolod native Laborte finished with 13 points, including four in a pivotal 6-0 run that turned a 5-all tie into a commanding 11-5 lead in the final set as the Lady Falcons joined NU at second on similar 2-1 cards.

The Lady Altas made a lot heads turn after pulling the rug from under Adamson in five sets on July 15 before nearly pulling off another one against Ateneo, 25-15, 14-25, 20-25, 25-18, 15-12, last Sunday.

Mangui scored 13 kills in her total output, including a three of the team's last four points while the 6-foot Santiago, who transferred from the six-time champ University of Santo Tomas, highlighted her performance with two blocks and three aces as NU dropped Perpetual to its second loss in three starts.

Francis Santiago, Manila Bulletin