MANILA -- He may not have been at the game but De La Salle University head coach Ramil de Jesus played a huge role in the Lady Spikers' romp over rivals Ateneo de Manila University last Sunday.

De Jesus has missed all of La Salle's games in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament for undisclosed reasons, with his longtime assistant Noel Orcullo instead calling the shots for the Lady Spikers.

In de Jesus' absence, La Salle has rolled to a 3-0 start in the tournament, highlighted by a dominant 25-16, 25-20, 25-13 sweep of the Blue Eagles that put them at solo first in the league standings.

It was the first time that Orcullo coached a rivalry game in the UAAP, and he credits de Jesus for preparing not just him but the Lady Spikers as well for the magnitude of the contest.

• READ: La Salle surges to solo lead by sweeping Ateneo

"Kinundisyon ko lang 'yung isip ko going into this game. Lagi lang naman ako pinapaalalahanan ni Coach Ramil na kaya ko 'yan at andoon naman 'yung guidance niya every training," said Orcullo.

"So, tiwala naman ako na magagawa ko naman, since may guidance naman si coach," he added.

De Jesus is the architect of the La Salle women's volleyball program, which he has handled since 1997. He has steered the Lady Spikers to 11 UAAP championships, most recently in UAAP Season 80.

Orcullo admits that there is plenty of pressure that comes with coaching in de Jesus' place, but he also knows how to deal with the situation. The mentor has been handling La Salle during games since the preseason.

"Every night, lagi akong nagmumunimuni na ano ba 'yung nangyayari sa games," said Orcullo. "Lagi kong [sinasabi sa] sarili ko na, stay calm, kaya mo 'yan."

"Parang [sinasabi] ko lang [sa] sarili ko na huwag akong magpakain sa pressure. Although andoon, pero kinakalma ko lang 'yung sarili ko na huwag kainin ng pressure," he added.

Against the Blue Eagles, the Lady Spikers stamped their class and were rarely threatened except in an error-strewn second set. Rookie star Angel Canino led the way for La Salle with a career-best 23 points, and veteran Jolina dela Cruz nailed clutch hits in Set 3 to close out Ateneo.

• READ: La Salle's Canino unfazed by atmosphere of rivalry game

It was La Salle's 11th straight victory over the Blue Eagles since the Season 79 finals.

"Kami, every game, prepared kami sa kung sino 'yung makakalaban namin," said Orcullo. "Hindi namin [pinapansin] 'yung winning streak sa kanila. Basta kami, papasok ng court, at maglalaro kami para manalo."

UAAP Season 85 is streaming on iWantTFC every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.