Bright future ahead for perennial cellar dwellers

The women's volleyball team of National University had been used to being a perennial cellar dweller or league doormat in the UAAP. "They (NU) finished sixth but that was years ago. I wasn’t even born yet," said NU's first-year coach Francis Vicente in jest. But this time around, the future looks bright for the Lady Bulldogs after they nearly clinched a semifinals berth in Season 73. They have already won four of their 11 matches, a far cry from their 1-13 record last year. NU, which won the UAAP volleyball titles in 1953 and 1956 seasons, finished the first round with a 3-4 mark and was holding on to the No. 4 spot with a 4-4 slate at the start of the second round. NU even pulled off a stunning upset win over perennial Final Four contender Far Eastern University. Pressure and inexperience, however, took its toll on the team as it dropped four straight games in the second round – including a 15-25, 16-25, 25-9, 19-25, setback to Adamson last Wednesday. Prior to their loss to the Lady Falcons, the Lady Bulldogs had still been in contention for a semis ticket. Despite failing to reach the semifinals, NU's dramatic improvement has certainly been noticed. "May height sila at nag-improve ang mga bata. Ipagpatuloy lang nila ang ginagawa nila, (They have the height and the players improved a lot. They just need to continue doing the right things)," said Adamson coach Dulce Pante. Vicente is at the forefront of that turnaround. He previously steered the University of Santo Tomas girls' squad to several titles in the high school division. "When I first got here, I was really targeting fifth place, but I wanted the girls to experience the pressure in terms of entering the Final Four. I wanted to psyche them up on entering the Final Four. By next year, hopefully, we can make it," said Vicente. As for his players, Maricar Nepomuceno has developed well and become one of the league's top scorers. Mervic Mangui and Ria Sante have also helped the Lady Bulldogs’ offense. Though out of the playoff chase, the season is not yet over for the Lady Bulldogs as they are still to face FEU on February 6 and University of the East on February 12. Still, Vicente is far from satisfied and is even thinking of revamping their roster for next season. "Urung-sulong kami. Minsan gaganda, minsan bababa. For my first few months, okey na kaya lang siyempre kahit sinong coach, angat ang standards nila. Tatapusin lang namin ang UAAP season and then we will have a revamp because I don't like their attitude. Hangga't hindi pa natatapos ang season, kailangan patunayan nila na iba na ang mukha ng NU," said Vicente. (Every coach wants his players to have consistency. We're just going to finish the UAAP season and I'm going to revamp our roster because I don't like their attitude. Since the season is not yet over, they need to show me that NU is different now.) The season has yet to end but the Lady Bulldogs will continue to be busy in preparation for the next season, as they will join the first conference of the Shakey’s V-League's Season 8. Volleyball fans are also awaiting the debut of one of their new players, Aleona Santiago, who had to redshirt this season as a transferee from UST. "Those players who'll see action in 2012 will be playing in the V-League. We have been invited already and we’re sure that we’ll get the chance to play," said Vicente, who believes that their performance in the UAAP women’s volleyball season is nothing to be ashamed of. – JVP, KY, GMANews.TV