NU’s long-term program results to winning streak

The UAAP women’s volleyball Season 84 is seeing the rise of a new superpower – National University (NU) who stayed in the sidelines for more than half a century.

NU is now reaping the rewards of a low-key, long-term program, surprising the traditional heavyweights on its way to an undefeated record in Season 84.

NU coach Karl Dimaculangan warned his wards that tough times are still ahead.

“We can’t be complacent,” said Dimaculangan. “Now in the second round, it’s another challenge for us. We expect things to be more difficult. And everybody has to work hard to get the win.”

Against one of the few teams that stand a chance against the Lady Bulldogs, NU overwhelmed La Salle with an uncanny mix of sheer firepower and finesse.

“I’m happy that we showed what we worked on in training,” said Princess Robles, a high-powered outside hitter who unleashed 17 points to quiet La Salle’s residue swag from its championship years.

Michaela Belen and Alyssa Solomon helped her out with 14 and 11 points, respectively, forming the lethal triumvirate for the squad whose last UAAP championship was in the 1950s.

Dimaculangan said, “All I keep telling them is not to hurry and just play their game. We don’t really focus on the outcome but on the things that we learned every game. And these players they listen and work very well.”

The result is an eight-game winning start in the season, one underpinned not by recruits but by a program that began with NU’s championship-rich high school squad. Robles, Belen and Solomon lead a core elevated from the school’s girls team.

As they evolve into a potent force in the senior level, so does Dimaculangan who battles some of the best tacticians in the country today. “I’m still a new coach. I’m still a student of the game,” he said. “I still have a lot to learn from other coaches and in the coming games.”