The NU Lady Bulldogs will once again enter a UAAP season under a different voice on the sidelines.
Through a social media post on Monday, the Lady Bulldogs welcomed back Norman Miguel as head coach, with Regine Diego, Alvin Dumalaog, and Juvie Mangaring completing the coaching staff as assistant coaches.
The post read, “A new season. New challenges. The same championship mindset,” as the team officially began preparations for UAAP Season 89.
Miguel’s return comes after Diego guided National University to a runner-up finish in UAAP Season 88. The Lady Bulldogs posted a 10-4 elimination-round record before eliminating the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses in the knockout semifinals to reach the Finals, where they eventually fell to the De La Salle University Lady Spikers.
Norman Miguel Return Continues Trend
The coaching change continues a recent trend for the Sampaloc-based program, which has managed to remain among the UAAP’s elite despite frequently changing leaders on the bench.
Norman Miguel previously coached the Lady Bulldogs to the UAAP Season 86 championship before Sherwin Meneses took over and delivered another title in Season 87. Diego then assumed the role in Season 88 and once again brought NU to the championship series.
This also marks Miguel’s second return to the program. He first handled the Lady Bulldogs in Season 81 before Karl Dimaculangan took over and helped establish NU as one of the league’s dominant programs, highlighted by its breakthrough championship in Season 84.
Interestingly, missing from the group was Dimaculangan, who had been a fixture on the Lady Bulldogs’ bench throughout the program’s rise into a perennial title contender.
With Norman Miguel back at the helm, NU hopes another coaching change will once again keep the Lady Bulldogs in the hunt for the UAAP women’s volleyball crown.
