The NU Lady Bulldogs secured an outright berth to the UAAP Season 84 women’s volleyball Finals after 65 long years.

Cess Robles led the team’s balanced attack with 13 points from 10 attacks, two blocks and a service ace as NU now set its sights on its UAAP volleyball title since the 1956-1957 season.

Alyssa Solomon and Michaela Belen backstopped the powerful hitting with 12 points apiece while Sheena Toring added 11 markers.

Lams Lamina also had an impressive outing that steered the Lady Bulldogs’ offense with 30 excellent sets.

The Lady Bulldogs had to survive a second set turbulence from the Tigresses, trailing down to four points, 18-14, but rallied to win eight of the next 11 points to snatch a set point, 24-23, capped by a Cess Robles kill. 

However, Belen gave a service error that put the match at 24-all which resulted in a thrilling scoring chain that reached 27-all off another Robles kill.

It was then Lamina who put the Lady Bulldogs at set point, 28-27, with her service ace before Toring drilled an over-passed ball by UST to complete their comeback. 

It was all NU in the third set, as they led by as much as 10 points to cruise to victory.

“Yung challenge talaga ng UST, lumaban din sila at napwersa din kami na tumodo sa kanila. Sinabi ko na sa kanila, mahirap talaga pero kailangan trabahuhin namin na point-by-point,” said coach Karl Dimaculangan. 

NU is the second team to complete an elimination sweep after Alyssa Valdez led Ateneo to a 14-0 run in UAAP Season 77 back in 2015.

Laure, the lone UST player in double-digits, tallied with 13 points, while Ypril Tapia finished with six points, and Camille Victoria chipped in four points off the bench, including three blocks.