Bulldogs end Eagles volley streak, cop title

MANILA, Philippines — National U completed its re-emergence as the Alpha Dog of UAAP men’s volleyball as it dethroned rival Ateneo with a title-clinching 25-20, 31-29, 22-25, 33-31 victory on Game Two of the Season 80 finals at the Smart Araneta Coliseum yesterday.

Bryan Bagunas and James Natividad provided the firepower, firing 22 and 18, respectively, while Kim Malabunga and Francis Saura took charge at the net with a combined nine of NU’s 19 blocks as the Bulldogs reached the summit for the first time since Season 76 and snapped three successive finals losses to the Blue Eagles.

“We felt this was our time to win the championship again so we told one another, let’s fight it out until we reach our goal,” said Bagunas in Filipino.

The Bulldogs showed poise in a marathon battle in the fourth, where the four-peat-seeking Eagles threatened to force a decider and reached set-point twice at 24-23 and 25-24. The NU spikers, though, survived, got on the hill themselves three times before cashing in on their fourth off a Natividad hit and an attack error from Ateneo’s Ron Medalla.