Bulldogs overcome adversity en route to five-peat

MANILA, Philippines -- National University’s journey to a fifth straight championship did not start off easily.

The Bulldogs have won the previous four UAAP men’s volleyball championships. But going to their fifth, stars Owa Retamar and Nico Almendras exited NU's halls .

Injuries also affected the team during the season.

With a much younger roster, the Sampaloc-based squad eyed to do something that has not been done yet in the Final Four era – go for the fifth straight title.

And go for it, they did.

After absorbing their first loss in the finals since UAAP Season 79, NU won the next two matches, including Saturday’s three-set sweep.

After the match, Finals Most Valuable Player Leo Aringo acknowledged that they went through a lot this season.

“After ng season namin ng 86, alam naming mahirap yung ma-experience namin kasi maraming seniors na nawala, and rebuilding yung team,” Aringo told reporters after the title-clinching win

“Si Coach Dante [Alinsunurin] nagtiwala sa akin at ginawa akong captain. And sa mga kasama kong seniors, kasama ko sila lagi sa hirap at ginhawa, lalo na sa mga rookies namin,” he added.

Even at the start of the season, the team already knew the daunting task of winning five straight, which made them tougher.

“Sabi ng mga coaches namin lagi na five-peat, wala pang nakakakuha niyan, mahirap kunin kasi alam namin na kapag nakuha namin, history. Kaya tinyaga namin,” Aringo stressed.

“Marami nang nangyari sa season namin. Tiniyaga namin, nagpakahirap kami, nagsakripisyo kami hanggang makuha ito. Ayun, nagbunga lahat ng sakripisyo.”

For his part, head coach Alinsunurin, who dedicated the championship to his brother Mike who passed away just last week, lauded his team’s dedication for going back up despite trailing 0-1 in the series.

“Talagang pinilit namin na makabalik anuman yung pwedeng gawin kahit na hindi talaga kami nakapag-ensayo. Siguro, ang pagkakaya pa siguro nung third set na talagang, ginusto na namin kunin yung madali kasi alam namin na pag nabuhayan pa yung FEU talagang baka mabalikan pa kami,” he said in the same interview.

The coach also thanked the management for their support, as they were able to upgrade not just their skills, but their mental fortitude.

“Well, yun yung composure na nakukuha namin talaga sa ginagawa namin sa mga training namin, sa mga ginagawa namin training camps sa Japan. Talagang sobrang thankful ako sa support ng NU, siyempre ng manager namin, na talagang kahit sa anumang gusto namin gawin para ma-improve pa yung, hindi lang skills, pati siyempre yung mentally namin, talagang nandiyan sila.”

The last team that won five straight in UAAP men’s volleyball was the FEU Tamaraws, who clinched 12 consecutive titles from 1946 to 1958.