MANILA, Philippines -- University of the East (UE) snapped a four-game slide on Wednesday after a tough victory over National University (NU), and in the process, revitalized their campaign in the UAAP Season 81 women's volleyball tournament.

The Lady Warriors finished the first round with a 1-6 win-loss record, as they followed a breakthrough win over Adamson University last February 27 with four consecutive defeats. But they would not be denied against the Lady Bulldogs, as they bounced back from a sorry collapse in the third set to eventually claim a 25-16, 25-18, 24-26, 25-16 victory.

For the UE veterans, that kind of performance was exactly what they needed after a series of poor games.

"Noong first round, bumaba 'yung morale namin," admitted Mean Mendrez, who scored a team-high 19 points in the victory.

"So nagusap-usap kami na parang, panibago na naman ito. So back to zero, huwag na nating isipin 'yung first round. Kumuha tayo ng momentum sa first game natin sa second round, which is, nanalo kami," she added.

The Lady Warriors were tested in the third set, when they wasted a staggering six match points and folded in the face of an 8-0 NU run. But they regained their composure in the fourth frame, and refused to allow another comeback from the Lady Bulldogs.

Mendrez said the victory is a massive boost of confidence for them, especially as they opened the second round on a high note.

"Iba 'yung simula 'pag panalo," she said.

• READ: Lady Warriors end 4-game slide in revenge win over Lady Bulldogs

UE, a perennial cellar-dweller in the UAAP, now has two wins after eight games -- matching last year's win total. While a Final 4 appearance may not be in the cards for the Lady Warriors, they have high hopes that they can at least improve on their ranking from last season, when they were at the bottom of the standings.

"Ang sa amin, kung hindi man kami aabot sa Final 4, ilaban lang siguro namin 'yung rank namin," said head coach Karl Dimaculangan. "Hindi naman kami lagi na No. 8."

"(Kailangan namin) manalo ulit ng manalo," he added. "As much as kaya namin, yun ang kailangan. Goal namin is talagang manalo, kasi 'yung rank namin, i-angat namin."

If the Lady Warriors are to achieve their goal, they will need to play with more maturity and poise than they did in Set 3 against NU. Already armed with a 24-18 lead, the Lady Warriors could not contain the NU tandem of Ivy Lacsina and Princess Robles down the stretch, and were dragged to a fourth frame.

"Kapag andyan ka na sa mga crucial points, dapat mature na sila para tatapusin talaga nila 'yung game," said Dimaculangan. "Yung point na kailangan talaga, kailangan nilang ma-deliver as the seniors and leaders ng team."

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