The UAAP Season 80 women's volleyball Final Four duel between the defending champions De La Salle Lady Spikers (12-2) and the fourth-seeded National University Lady Bulldogs (7-7) begins on Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
First round meeting: NU 3-2 DLSU
Second round meeting: DLSU 3-0 NU
How La Salle got here
The De La Salle Lady Spikers absorbed two losses at the hands of NU and Adamson in the first round, which prompted head coach Ramil de Jesus to tell his players that they looked like a barangay-level team that did not deserve to play in the UAAP.
After that, the Lady Spikers woke up. They responded to their coach's challenge by elevating their game, which translated to eight straight commanding wins. Determined to maximize their final playing year, Majoy Baron, Kianna Dy, and Des Cheng joined forces to propel their team to a sweep of the second round.
Their road to the Final Four was the easiest one. They locked the top seed and the twice-to-beat edge that comes with it, while the rest of the teams were still battling for the second to fourth spots. They are the hottest team in the league and they look on pace to securing their tenth straight finals appearance.
How NU got here
The NU Lady Bulldogs knew that they have the tendency to falter towards the end of the elimination round. Their goal this year was to be consistent from start to finish, hoping to finally take home the crown before they bid goodbye to team captain Jaja Santiago.
They surged ahead of everybody else in the first round. But then, as has now become NU's trademark, they experienced a major collapse in the latter half. After opening with a 6-1 record, the complete opposite happened in the second round where they only managed to bag one more win.
Reaching the Final Four can be considered a lucky break for them. Adamson, UP, and UST could have taken their place, but these three teams had their own issues to deal with that gave the Lady Bulldogs a free pass to the playoffs.
What La Salle needs to do to win
La Salle needs to be aggressive from the service zone. Averaging 2.72 aces per set, their league-best service will be their most important asset against the league-worst reception of NU. They have the deadliest servers in Cheng and Michelle Cobb, but all their other players can also make their mark from the service line.
By getting their service game going, the Lady Spikers can limit NU's attacking opportunities that mostly involve the towering Santiago. They can also rely on their superb net and floor defense to prevent Santiago and the Lady Bulldogs from getting into rhythm. They basically just need to play their usual game and avoid being complacent.
What NU needs to do to win
The Lady Bulldogs need to be their absolute best against streaking La Salle. They were the first to taint the reigning champions' record this year, but so many things have changed for both teams since that first-round encounter.
NU's offense revolves around Santiago, and rightly so. She averages 20 points per game, and she tops the league in terms of success rate in spiking. Once she gets the ball, she converts it to a kill shot 42 percent of the time. But no matter how extraordinary Santiago is, she can't do it alone. She badly needs ample support from the rest of the team.
Risa Sato, Jorelle Singh, Aiko Urdas, and Roselyn Doria all need to produce to help their team captain. They need to channel the NU team that showed up in the first round for them to have a chance against a powerful and cohesive La Salle squad.
X-Factors
NU's Jasmine Nabor and La Salle's Michelle Cobb, the second and third best setters (behind Ateneo's Deanna Wong) respectively, will be the X-factors in this series.
Nabor definitely has the upper hand when it comes to experience. She has developed a great connection with Santiago through the years. But the bigger challenge for her is how she can spread the offense and involve the rest of the spikers, while dealing with erratic first balls.
Cobb, although coming in as a newbie, has the advantage of being surrounded by reliable veterans. Aside from having several attackers who can convert at a high percentage, she also has Dawn Macandili to deliver the ball and make her job easier. She just needs to remain confident as she continues to embrace her role as the team's playmaker.
Fearless Forecast
The Lady Bulldogs are determined to leave their horrible second round behind them. All stats will be thrown out the window when they try their best to outlast La Salle. But the Lady Spikers have too much of a firepower and championship pedigree to even budge. La Salle can comfortably punch their ticket to the finals in one game.