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Reviews pays off as UP's Bersola outplays NU's Jaja in key match-up

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2017/sports/03/26/032617-bersola.jpg"/><figcaption><div class="embed-desc">Kathy Bersola celebrates with her teammates. <cite>Arvin Lim, <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/volleyball/photos" target="_blank">ABS-CBN Sports</a></cite></div></figcaption></figure></div>MANILA, Philippines – Kathy Bersola&#x27;s habit of studying University of the Philippines&#x27; (UP) opponents and her match-up paid dividends for the Lady Maroons on Sunday, as she got repeatedly got the better of Jaja Santiago in their crucial game against National University (NU).Bersola, the UAAP Best Blocker in Season 76, denied Santiago several times in UP&#x27;s 25-14, 25-27, 25-21, 25-12 win that fanned their Final 4 hopes in the Season 79 women&#x27;s volleyball tournament. It mattered not where Santiago was attacking – whether it be from the middle, the wings, or the back row. Bersola was there to mark the towering NU star.<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">Bersola right there to turn back Jaja! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UAAPSeason79?src=hash">#UAAPSeason79</a> <a href="https://t.co/6zsF5e1Tr3">pic.twitter.com/6zsF5e1Tr3</a>— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/abscbnsports/status/845923639849451522">March 26, 2017</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>The former UP captain finished with 14 points, eight of which came on kill blocks. Santiago got her numbers – 18 points on 10 attacks and seven rejections – but her presence was barely felt especially in the fourth set when the Lady Bulldogs faded away.For UP assistant coach Rald Ricafort, Bersola&#x27;s performance against NU was the result of her diligence in studying her opponents.&quot;Si Kathy, since Game 1 ng unang round, hindi siya nagkukulang sa pagre-review ng games at review ng match-up nila,&quot; said Ricafort. &quot;So hindi siya kailangan sabihan ng paulit-ulit. Inaaral niya ng kusa, so medyo nag-bunga.&quot;[Kathy always reviews her games and reviews her match-ups. She doesn&#x27;t need to be told. She studies on her own, and it paid off today.]<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com/uaap/news/2017/03/26/lady-maroons-silence-lady-bulldogs-23811">READ: Lady Maroons silence Lady Bulldogs</a></li></ul>But Bersola stressed that she studies all her opponents, and not just Santiago. Moreover, she believes that it was their enjoyment of the game that keyed their victory.&quot;Parang nadala lang talaga ako, kasi sobrang nage-enjoy kami kanina,&quot; she said. &quot;Naging confident ako, kasi confident &#x27;yung mga kasama ko.&quot;[We really enjoyed our game today. I felt confident because my teammates were confident.]&quot;Siyempre, masaya at confidence-booster din ito, kasi nga medyo maraming games this season na medyo nags-struggle ako,&quot; Bersola also said. &quot;Maganda na sa ganitong game, nakapag-perform naman. Malaking tulong din talaga &#x27;yung other teammates ko.&quot;[This is a good win, and it&#x27;s a confidence-booster because there were many games this season where I struggled. It&#x27;s good that I was able to perform well. My teammates also helped me.]More than outplaying Santiago, Bersola was simply pleased that the Lady Maroons got a much-needed victory, especially against a fellow Final 4 contender.&quot;Medyo kailangan namin &#x27;yung wins,&quot; said Bersola. &quot;Pero we tried to tone it down, para hindi kami ma-overwhelm at para hindi kami maging masyadong kumpyansa next game.&quot;[We needed the win. But we also tried to tone it down so we won&#x27;t be overwhelmed, and we won&#x27;t get too confident for our next game.]UP returns to action on Sunday against University of Santo Tomas.For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN <a href="http://sports.abs-cbn.com" target="_blank">Sports website.</a>

Kathy Bersola's habit of studying University of the Philippines' (UP) opponents and her match-up paid dividends for the Lady Maroons on Sunday, as she repeatedly got the better of Jaja Santiago in their crucial game against National University (NU).

Kathy Bersola's habit of studying University of the Philippines' (UP) opponents and her match-up paid dividends for the Lady Maroons on Sunday, as she repeatedly got the better of Jaja Santiago in their crucial game against National University (NU).

Reviews pays off as UP's Bersola outplays NU's Jaja in key match-up

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Reviews pays off as UP's Bersola outplays NU's Jaja in key match-up

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published March 26, 2017 10:14 PM PHT

|

Updated March 27, 2017 08:29 AM PHT

Read More:

UAAP

volleyball

UP Lady Maroons

NU Lady Bulldogs

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