LIVE: UAAP Season 87 volleyball Finals Game 1 – May 11, 2025

MANILA, Philippines —Vange Alinsug was a revelation in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Finals Game 1, as the tertiary offensive option led National University past La Salle, 25-17, 25-21, 13-25, 25-17, on Sunday in front of 15,192 fans at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Alinsug rose to the occasion with a team-high 21 points — all from attacks — to put NU on the cusp of a back-to-back championship and third title in four seasons.

Playing in her third UAAP Finals, Alinsug knew the importance of taking the series opener..

“We’re really happy we got Game 1. This was super important, and we want to keep the momentum going. Our six straight days of training really paid off, and now we’ve got two days to prepare for Game 2,” said Alinsug in Filipino.

“This isn’t our first time in a big game like this, so our mindset was just to play the way we always do, starting with how we train,” she added.

Vange Alinsug and the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Alyssa Solomon, NU’s leading scorer in the past three finals with an average of 23.17 points over six games, was limited to just nine points, but she was proud of how the third-year outside spiker carried the scoring load.

“I’m always super proud of Vange because I’ve seen how hard she works in every training,” said Solomon. “I always say that training is like the start of the competition. If you give 100 percent in practice, that’s what will show during the game.”

Alinsug also credited their strong bond and familiarity as a factor in helping them recover from a 12-point loss in the third set.

“It really helps that we know each other so well, especially since we’ve been teammates since high school. Everything starts in training. If someone’s out of it or not focused, it can carry over into the game, so we make sure to talk about it and support each other. We know how to help each other bounce back,” she said.

Alinsug hopes to give her seniors — including Solomon and Bella Belen — a fitting sendoff as champions in Game 2 on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.