LAST year's title protagonists will meet again on the biggest stage but with a whole new story set to be written in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament.
NU vs La Salle UAAP women's volleyball finals preview
Back in Season 84, an emerging National University squad swept past the entire field to dispatch one of the league's most formidable dynasties in La Salle in a two-game Finals sweep.
In this unprecedented path to championship glory, the Lady Bulldogs did not concede a single set in four meetings with the Lady Spikers, including both Finals games.
This allowed National U to finally end their 65-year title drought and launch a reign of sheer dominance, with the league's first-ever rookie MVP Bella Belen and Co. taking charge.
An early title series rematch came between both teams in the inaugural Shakey's Super League preseason tilt — also won by NU over La Salle on top of another season sweep.
UAAP Season 85 recap: La Salle had NU's number all season long
It's as if no one was bound to deny another year of UAAP supremacy for the in-form Lady Bulldogs in Season 85.
But in less than a year since a perfect Season 84 campaign, the tables seemed to have turned dramatically in La Salle's favor.
With the two teams playing both of their prelims matches in a span of four days, the Lady Spikers cracked the reigning champs' once-impenetrable code and swept them twice.
The Taft side took a 25-10, 25-15, 25-21 triumph in Round 1 on top of captain Mars Alba's 20 excellent sets.
Meanwhile, MVP contender Jolina dela Cruz' 12 markers lifted the green-and-white to a hard-earned 26-24, 26-24, 25-16 sweep three days later in Ramil de Jesus' coaching comeback.
By then, the narrative of NU's dominant emergence gradually reverted to a dynastic resurgence for La Salle.
For Lady Spikers' super rookie Angel Canino, vindication can only be served with a championship for La Salle and not by any individual accolade.
"Sobrang laking bagay na 'yun dahil 'yun 'yung goal namin as a team at sa bawat isa sa'min na mag-champion, hindi 'yung mga individual awards," said Canino. "After niyan, du'n lang po namin mapapakita na 'ito kami, La Salle kami.'"
Belen, however, is not delving any further into their prelims losses to the Taft towers with a completely new ballgame in store for the Finals.
"Finals na po 'to [kaya] ibang usapan na. Natalo man po kami nung first and second round, tapos na po 'yun," said Belen. "Itong Finals po for me, back to zero na talaga. Dito na papasok kung sino mas gustong manalo, kung sino mas gusto 'yung season na 'to."
One of either title no. 12 for La Salle or a first taste of back-to-back championships for NU will be realized as the Finals kick off on Sunday, May 7, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
