National University secured a bounce-back victory against a resilient Emilio Aguinaldo College in four sets: 25-14, 29-27, 22-25, 25-23 on Friday at the Paco Arena in Manila.
This win propelled them to a tie for the second spot in the 2023 V-League Collegiate Challenge.
The Bulldogs are now tied with UST and Perpetual at 2-1, closely trailing Ateneo's 2-0 record, thanks to the remarkable performances of Buds Buddin and Jade Disquitado.
Trailing 18-21 in the fourth set, Disquitado spearheaded a 4-0 run to seize the advantage. Building on this momentum, NU fended off EAC, and Buddin ultimately sealed the match with a backrow kill.
"Although our offense lacked some consistency and we still struggled with unforced errors, luckily we managed to pull through in this game," commented coach Dong Dela Cruz on the come-from-behind victory in the fourth set and the overall triumph.
Buddin and Disquitado both finished the game with 19 points, while team captain Leo Aringo Jr. contributed 15 points along with two digs and nine excellent receptions.
Frelwin Taculog proved to be a game-changer for the Generals with 14 points off the bench. However, it wasn't sufficient as the team suffered its third consecutive defeat.
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