Quezon City, Philippines — National University (NU) made significant strides toward securing both the men's and women's volleyball championships in UAAP Season 86, following their victories against University of Santo Tomas (UST) in Game 1 of the best-of-three finals held at Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the NU Bulldogs men's team, who are the three-time defending champions, overcame the Golden Spikers with set scores of 25-17, 26-24, 25-19. This victory was particularly satisfying as they had previously lost to UST during the elimination rounds. Meanwhile, the NU Lady Bulldogs also triumphed over the Golden Tigresses with scores of 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 20,955 spectators. The Lady Bulldogs are aiming to reclaim the title they lost to De La Salle University in the last season after their Season 84 victory.
Game 2 is scheduled to take place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay this Wednesday, following a 1 p.m. awards ceremony. If a Game 3 is necessary, it will be held on May 18 at the same venue. The last university to win both men's and women's titles in the same season was Ateneo in 2015.
During the match, the Golden Spikers initially took a 7-3 lead, but NU's Leo Aringo spearheaded a comeback to win the first set. UST's Josh Ybañez fought hard in the second set, delivering back-to-back kills to tie at 24-24. However, NU's Michaelo Buddin scored a critical push shot to take the lead, and a successful challenge for an antenna touch by NU secured the set. In the third set, Buddin, alongside graduating player Nico Almendras, extended NU's lead to seal the match in just one hour and 24 minutes.
NU men's coach Dante Alinsunurin expressed his satisfaction with the team's performance, noting that their skills in floor defense, attacks, and blocking were all synchronizing effectively.
The women's match saw a tense moment when UST's top player, Angge Poyos, injured her right ankle and could not return to the game. NU capitalized on this with Alyssa Solomon, Vange Alinsug, and Bella Belen leading the offensive, securing a significant lead that carried them to victory in one hour and 54 minutes.
"We're very happy to take Game 1. Our game plan worked well, and we were able to apply it successfully," said NU women's coach Norman Miguel, reflecting on the win.