MANILA, Philippines – The National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs flashed their championship form when they finished solo first place at the end of the first round. 

So NU head coach Babes Castillo certainly knows the abilities of his 4th-seeded team, and he is already looking forward to facing defending champion De La Salle University (DLSU) again. 

“I like [going against DLSU]. You always compete with the best. Doon mo lang makikita kung anong meron ka (that’s where you’ll see what you have),” said Castillo. 

The Lady Bulldogs went on a huge slump in the second round as they lost all their games except for that lone win against University of the East that catapulted them to the playoffs.

Despite being the 4th team to advance to the semis, the Lady Bulldogs still have a chance of redeeming themselves from their “haunted past” if they are able to defeat DLSU twice.

That’s easier said than done. 

According to DLSU captain and Season 79 MVP Majoy Baron, no one has seen the Lady Spikers in their peak form yet this season even though they went undefeated in the second round. 

“Hindi pa kami nag-peak eh. Gusto namin, coming to the semis, mas buo kami as a team at mag-peak kami,” warned Baron. 

(We haven’t peaked. Coming into the semis, we want to be more gelled as a team and to peak as well.) 

The Lady Bulldogs dealt the defending champions their first loss of the season, but the Lady Spikers avenged the loss with a straight-set win over NU in the second round. 

With captain and topscorer Jaja Santiago leading NU on and off the court for the last time, will the Lady Bulldogs get past their adversities? Or will the Lady Spikers be in their peak form and send NU back to a downward spiral?

The showdown will be on Sunday, April 22, 4pm at the Mall of Asia Arena. – Rappler.com