National University head coach Sherwin Meneses knew nothing will come easy in their quest to win the women's volleyball title twice in a row.

With thousands of fans cheering inside the Mall of Asia Arena last Sunday, Feb. 23, the Lady Bulldogs overcame a huge scare from the gritty FEU Lady Tamaraws to earn a hard-fought 25-15, 23-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-8 victory.

Overcoming the first real test in Season 87 following two lopsided victories early on, Meneses is already expecting tough resistance from the opposing teams as the tournament goes by.

“Number one, lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila, kahit anong situation, one point at a time lang tayo,” said Meneses, who also stressed the same thing to his Creamline Cool Smashers players in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL).

“Kesyo lamang kami, o lamang ‘yong kalaban, dapat ganun ‘yong mindset kung paano ma-defend ‘yong championship,” Meneses added.

Meneses' coaching style has brought the Cool Smashers to a lofty status in the pro ranks, winning multiple championships and a rare grand slam feat.

Bringing in his brand of play for NU, he is setting the bar higher with Alyssa Solomon, Bella Belen, Vange Alinsug, among others, leading the charge.

“Siguro maganda rin for us na nag-five sets agad kami and talagang dikit po ‘yong laro,” said Belen.

“Makikita namin ‘yong mga lapses namin and ‘yong pwede pang pagtuunan ng pansin… so kami kailangan naming mag-focuse sa pwede naming ma-improve and dalhin sa mga susunod naming mga games,” she added.