MANILA, Philippines – Losses to the top two teams in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament are glaring proof that Bella Belen and the NU Lady Bulldogs have a long way to go if they want to reclaim the throne.

Belen said the Lady Bulldogs need to keep hammering away after they closed out the first round with a five-set loss to defending champion La Salle Lady Spikers on Saturday, March 18, in a rematch of the finals last season.

The defeat snapped a five-game winning streak for the Lady Bulldogs, whose only other loss came at the hands of league-leading UST when the unbeaten Tigresses pulled off a surprising sweep of NU in their tournament debuts.

“It is a big lesson for us that we have a lot to work on,” said the former UAAP MVP in Filipino. “The season is not over and we still have time to improve.”

The Lady Bulldogs sit at third place with a 5-2 record, while the Tigresses are perched on top with a perfect 7-0 slate followed by the Lady Spikers at second place with a 6-1 card.

As unpleasant as those two losses are, though, Belen and NU aim to start over in the second round, with the goal of reasserting their mastery over their five victims and redeeming themselves against their two tormentors.

“UST and La Salle both gave us a hard time. They’re both great teams. In our team, we just need to work as one,” said Belen. “The entire team must see that we still lack a lot and we cannot relax in the games.”

NU opens the second round against the UP Fighting Maroons at the Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday, March 20. – Rappler.com