HIGHLIGHTS: UAAP Season 87 volleyball Finals Game 1

MANILA, Philippines — Coach Sherwin Meneses relished his first UAAP Finals experience, steering National University past La Salle and its multi-titled mentor Ramil De Jesus in Game 1 of their best-of-three series.

“This is my first finals, and of course, you can really feel that we’re playing for the pride of our school. There are a lot of people watching, the games are exciting, and I’m personally excited to try and get our first win,” said Meneses in Filipino after NU’s 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17 victory in front of 15,192 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 87 volleyball Finals

Coach Sherwin Meneses shares his thoughts after coaching in his first UAAP finals. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/xq97u8C51s

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) May 11, 2025

“Playing in the Finals, whether it’s in the pros or college. There’s always a big crowd. I think this is a great example of how far volleyball has come in our community.”

Meneses, who last coached in the UAAP in 2016 with his alma mater Adamson, prepared his wards for a tough duel against De Jesus, who has won 12 UAAP titles–the last of which in 2023 when they denied NU’s bid for a back-to-back.

“Of course, we prepared, because La Salle has always been strong when it comes to recruitment. They usually get the top talents. At NU, we’re still catching up in that area,” said Meneses.

“So it’s nice to go up against coach Ramil. Hopefully, in our future recruitment, we can also bring in tall and talented players so we can keep up with programs like theirs.”

READ: UAAP Finals: NU a win away from title repeat, beats La Salle

On the cusp of a title repeat, Meneses reminded the Lady Bulldogs that the toughest challenge awaits in Game 2 on Wednesday.

“The closing out is the hardest part,” he said. “Right now, there’s no champion yet. We’re the defending champions, and we need to prove we deserve to keep the crown.”

“So we, the coaches, won’t stop reminding them, giving them instructions and motivation. The players are already very competitive, their drive is really high. I just hope we can raise our level even more in Game 2.”