Lady Bulldogs still recovering from preseason preps, says coach

MANILA, Philippines – National University Lady Bulldogs head coach Norman Miguel believes his team has yet to recover from a rigorous preseason schedule as last season’s finalists appeared shaky in their first two assignments in the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament.

Though they barged into the win column on Saturday, the Sampaloc-based squad needed to dig deep en route to a five-set escape act of an underdog Ateneo Blue Eagles team to even their slate at 1-1 a couple of weeks into the new season.

After showing dominance in the past few years, Miguel said that it was because of a tough schedule that the girls have yet to show their true potential this season.

“I think this is unpopular to everybody, [but] for me, sa tingin ko ngayon pa lang nagsa-start magrecover yung team… They were in Dipolog to play for the University Games, luckily nagchampion, then after that, tuloy tuloy kami sa training, we had a series of practice games against top club teams,” explained Miguel after their win over Ateneo. 

“We had two wins, and one loss and then continuous parin ang training so para sa akin, I think, medyo kulang pa sa recovery yung team namin that’s why we perform like this.”

Many were shocked at NU’s lopsided straight-sets loss to the UST Golden Tigresses in their season opener.

While UST can be considered a formidable foe, the Lady Bulldogs have shown themselves to be more dominant than the rest of the field in recent seasons – which is why such a one-sided match between the two schools was a surprise.

But now, as the season goes into full throttle, Miguel and the rest of the NU coaching staff are putting premium on recovery against a more competitive field.

“I think, ngayon, nakapagrest ng ilang araw, I think yun ang importante samin makapagrest muna,” he said.

Miguel’s Lady Bulldogs go at it again on Wednesday, February 28, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum against the Adamson Lady Falcons, who are also coming from a win.