UAAP: Lady Bulldogs thwart Lady Tams as older Santiago, Pablo shine anew

The NU Lady Bulldogs cooled down the surging FEU Lady Tamaraws in three sets, 25-18 26-24 25-23, Saturday, at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.

NU coach Edjet Mabbayad shared after the game that the 7-1 record is not a reason for them to get complacent. But with tight finishes in the second and third sets, Mabbayad was impressed with his players’ resiliency:

“Nakita namin na talagang palaban sila at hindi bumibitaw sa crunch time”.

He added that this mindset will be key when they face UST Tigresses, their next opponents. “Sila [UST] gagawin nila ang lahat," Mabbayad said. "Kami mas dodoblehin pa rin ang kaya namin.”

The first set was a display of Dindin Santiago’s usual offensive capabilities. Her team rallied to a 16-11 lead in the first technical timeout and never missed a step after. With NU constantly setting the ball for their power-hitter, Santiago helped the Lady Bulldogs cruise to a 25-18 opening set win.

FEU bounced back in the second set with a slim 8-7 advantage prior to the first technical timeout. Bernadette Pons fearlessly challenged the towering Jaja Santiago, as her array of attacks dazzled the entire arena. While the Lady Bulldogs possessed the height advantage, the Lady Tamaraws kept in step with their timing. Blocks from Marie Simborio, Mary Palma and Geneveve Casugod propelled their team to a 16-11 cushion.

However, as expected, the Santiago sisters provided their usual offensive brilliance while Carmina Aganon and Aiko Urdas contributed by hustling for points, as the set reached a deadlock at 20-all. FEU reached set point first with Palma’s running spike at 24-22, but the relentlessness of Aiko Urdas pushed NU to a 3-0 scoring run, to put the Lady Bulldogs on top at 25-24. NU took care of the second set at 26-24 with a well-timed block.

Despite trailing early at 1-3 in the third set, Aganon’s offensive outburst, accompanied by the ever-consistent Santiago sisters pushed NU on top at 10-6. FEU managed to get as close as one at 12-11, but the explosive spikes of Jaja and Dindin Santiago were enough for NU to regain enough separation, 16-12. Errors committed by the Lady Bulldogs helped FEU string together four unanswered points, though, tying the set at 16-all.

Momentum quickly shifted back to the Lady Bulldogs, as NU gained a 21-19 lead. FEU retaliated to regain the advantage at 23-22, but back-to-back kills from Aiko Urdas positioned NU at match point, 24-23. An Aganon hit pierced through the FEU blockers to finish the match, 25-23.

Dindin Santiago finished with 17 points, accompanied by Pablo’s 12. Despite NU’s impressive display on the defensive end, FEU tallied 53 blocks over the Lady Bulldog’s 46. Pons was once again her team’s highest scorer yet she was only limited to 12 points, followed by Marie Simborio’s 10. - RAF, GMA News