Erin Pangilinan and the NU Lady Bulldogs in the UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball Finals. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Loyalty turned into a legacy for National University standouts Erin Pangilinan and Sheena Toring, who capped their UAAP careers by leading the Lady Bulldogs to their third women’s volleyball crown in four seasons.
Looking back to where it all started for them, graduating middle blockers Erin Pangilinan and Sheena Toring credited their successful collegiate stints to their decision to stick together from high school to college.
READ: UAAP: NU wins 2nd straight women’s title with sweep of La Salle
Pangilinan, who won four UAAP girls’ titles alongside fellow high school standouts Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon, made special mention of their first coach, Babes Castillo, for building their winning culture in girls volleyball that they were able to carry into he collegiate ranks.
“Credit really goes to all our coaches, especially Coach Babes Castillo. He shaped our character and always reminded us how important it is to have the right attitude and mindset when playing. He taught us how to respond and adapt in every situation,” said Pangilinan in Filipino after scoring seven points in their Game 2 sweep of La Salle to capture the UAAP Season 87 title on Wednesday at Mall of Asia Arena.
“This is a huge achievement for us, especially since we’re graduating. It’s fulfilling because ever since high school, we’ve been aiming for this. From high school to college, we really wanted to show everyone that NU isn’t just some underdog. We wanted to lift it. That’s always been our goal,” she added.
NU Lady Bulldogs’ Sheena Toring during a UAAP Season 87 women’s volleyball game. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
READ: UAAP: Alinsug, Jardio start NU takeover with shared Finals MVP plum
Toring echoed Pangilinan’s sentiment, saying their united goal to take NU to greater heights led them to establish the Lady Bulldogs’ dynasty in the collegiate scene from a perfect Season 84 campaign to end a 65-year title drought to winning back-to-back titles.
“I think a big part of our success is our loyalty to NU. We made the decision to stay and that’s why we kept our championship streak going from high school all the way to college,” said Toring.
“This was our main goal. We wanted to make up for what happened in Season 85 when we weren’t able to win back-to-back. So we really pushed to get it this season.”
More than the championships from high school to college, the two are determined to carry on the values they learned over the past decades as Nationalians.
“NU really molded us to be humble and simple. NU isn’t as big or as ‘grand’ as some of the top four universities, and I think that’s what keeps us grounded. We’ve always had this hunger to prove ourselves and work harder because we really built this program from the ground up. That’s the lesson NU taught us,” said Paninginan.
“In NU Nazareth School, we had this mantra: ‘Stay focused, stay humble, stay hungry.’ That’s something we’ve always kept in mind and lived by,” added Toring.
After a colorful collegiate career, Toring and Pangilinan plan to join the PVL Draft in June. But for now, they will celebrate their third and last UAAP title first.
