NU shoots for 6-0 vs Adamson

STAYING unblemished is the goal for the defending champs NU Lady Bulldogs when they face the Adamson Lady Falcons in the UAAP Season 87 women's volleyball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday.

Carrying a 5-0 record, the league-leading National University (NU) battles the fifth-seed and 2-3 Adamson at 1 p.m. to start the women's double-header capped by the battle between seventh seed Ateneo (1-4) and rival fourth-seed La Salle (3-2) at 3 p.m.

The same schools go at it in the men's division in the morning games with NU and Adamson clashing at 9 a.m. to open the gameday followed by the clash between Ateneo and La Salle at 11 a.m.

The Lady Bulldogs are coming off a 25-13, 25-23, 25-22 win over the UP Fighting Maroons last Sunday, with reigning Most Valuable Player Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon leading the charge for the Sherwin Meneses-mentored team as usual.

Meneses, who faces his alma mater Adamson, which program he previously head-coached from 2012 to 2016, said that NU remains hungry for improvement, stressing that his team is more focused on getting better than just keeping its win run alive.

"We always look for ways to improve and get better every training session and every game. I think we can still improve a lot," said Meneses, whose Bulldogs will move on the cusp of a first-round sweep should it defeat the Falcons.

"It's not about the streak or how many games we've won. It's about improving and winning, and putting in the effort during training. We don't focus on the winning streak."

Meanwhile, the Lady Falcons look to recover from a 25-23, 15-25, 13-25, 10-25 demoralizing loss to the FEU Lady Tamaraws last Saturday.

After nipping FEU in the first set, Adamson got dominated in the next three despite the valiant effort of super rookie and team captain Shaina Nitura to lift her team up.

Nitura dropped 24 points, 13 receptions and nine digs but to no avail as the Lady Falcons dropped to their second straight defeat.

STANDINGS: NU 5-0, UST 5-1, FEU 4-2, La Salle 3-2, Adamson 2-3, UP 2-4, Ateneo 1-4, UE 0-6

GAMES TODAY (MALL OF ASIA ARENA): 1 p.m. NU vs Adamson (w), 3 p.m. Ateneo vs DLSU (w)