Now not making an attempt too exhausting, NU rediscovers vaunted kind

NU Girl Bulldogs’ Bella Belen.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.web

Earlier than the beginning of the UAAP Season 86 ladies’s volleyball match, Nationwide College (NU) underlined redemption as its theme after getting its coronary heart damaged by La Salle of their Finals collection final 12 months.

However in making an attempt to select up the items of their shattered goals, the Girl Bulldogs could have tried too exhausting to achieve their objective.

“Generally in our need to get again and uphold that phrase, redemption, we overlook to take pleasure in and present our actual recreation,” NU star Bella Belen instructed the Inquirer in Filipino after a dominant 25-14, 25-14, 25-12 triumph in opposition to hapless College of the East (UE) on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Area.

“I really feel like we’re nonetheless on our approach to redemption, however extra on how we are able to rise as a workforce and lift our efficiency. That’s the place we’re proper now,” Belen stated as NU improved to an 8-2 standing. “As a result of we all know that we nonetheless have loads to enhance each recreation to get our objective this season.”

And the Girl Bulldogs are nearing that objective with simply 4 video games left of their preliminary schedule. After hurdling previous College of the Philippines to start a three-game profitable run within the second spherical, NU delivered a scientific efficiency to precise revenge on College of Santo Tomas (UST) earlier than simply dealing with UE.

Season 85 tormentor La Salle, which dealt NU its second loss this season, remains to be among the many squads left for the Girl Bulldogs to face, however this time Belen believes that they’ll proceed their momentum and rush to the Ultimate 4 spherical full velocity forward.

“I feel that the workforce is prepared and I’m assured that the workforce is succesful,” stated Belen whereas including that there’s nonetheless extra left within the Girl Bulldogs’ tank by way of getting higher.

“We’re close to our peak kind, however not fairly there but as a result of I do know that my teammates may give and do extra like what we confirmed throughout our tuneups earlier than the season,” she added.

Motivated

No workforce has slowed NU down within the second spherical and there may be pleasure among the many Girl Bulldogs together with discussions of how they are often stronger when the Ultimate 4 spherical comes.

“Like in our recreation in opposition to UST, our motivation is to get even with them, appropriate our errors that we did in our La Salle recreation and [figure out] why we misplaced,” she stated.

However not like earlier than once they had been single-minded on redemption, the Girl Bulldogs know that they can’t be careless dashing forward.

“We at all times say to concentrate on one recreation at a time,” stated Belen who remained in step with 13 factors on eight assaults, 4 blocks and an ace in addition to 10 glorious digs and the identical variety of receptions.

“Like what ate [Alyssa Solomon] stated earlier, the extra we rush issues, the extra that we can not obtain our objective so we have to take our time and be at all times acutely aware of our motion so we’re conscious of the place we’re and what’s the degree of our recreation now,” she added.

Solomon had 14 factors to guide NU, which had a subject day attacking UE’s protection. The Girl Warriors failed to attain a single level off blocks.

Defensively, the Girl Bulldogs additionally bared their enamel, holding UE tremendous rookie Casiey Dongallo to a career-low six factors after coming into the match averaging over 23 factors per recreation.