National University (NU) cruised to a fourth consecutive win in the UAAP Season 84 women's volleyball tournament after sweeping University of the East (UE) on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Lady Bulldogs rode a hot start en route to a 25-11, 25-20, 25-13 to stay unbeaten in the season, wrapping up the match in just an hour and 25 minutes.
The Lady Warriors, meanwhile, fell to 0-4.
"Every team na makakalaban namin, nagpe-prepare kami ng maayos," said NU coach Karl Dimaculangan, who defeated his former team and his brother, Ronwald.
Dimaculangan coached the Lady Warriors in Season 81 and 82 before moving to NU.
"Stick lang kami doon, and paulit-ulit lang kami sa ginagawa namin," he added.
The Lady Bulldogs set the tone of the match with a comfortable victory in the opening frame. Rookie star Michaela Belen scored four consecutive aces to give NU a 16-4 lead, and they were never threatened as the Lady Bulldogs peppered UE with 14 kills.
But the Lady Warriors fired back in Set 2, even taking an 11-8 lead off NU's errors before Alyssa Solomon gained her rhythm. She scored back-to-back kills to spark a 6-0 run that put NU in control, 14-11, and UE would not recover.
With NU cruising, Dimaculangan had the luxury of sending in his reserves and France Ronquillo made the most of her playing time, scoring five points in the third set to put the finishing touches on their win.
Sheena Toring earned Player of the Game honors with 13 points on eight kills, three aces, and a block. Ivy Lacsina had 13 points on 12 kills, and Belen finished with 11 points, 11 digs, and eight receptions.
No UE player reached double-digits, but the Lady Bulldogs kept them in the game by committing 23 unforced errors -- 11 of which came in the second set. The Lady Warriors were without injured spiker Apple Lingay. Ja Lana led the team with nine points, but UE's offense produced just 17 kills compared to NU's 46.
