THE rematch of last season’s UAAP women’s volleyball Finals between La Salle and National University is set on March 16 at the fabled Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Lady Spikers and the Lady Bulldogs will meet for the first time since the Taft-based squad avenged their Season 84 championship loss to their Bustillos counterparts last May.

The La Salle-NU duel is set at 2 p.m. on that day, to be followed by the 4 p.m. showdown between last season’s third placers Adamson and University of Santo Tomas.

The Lady Spikers will begin their title defense against the Lady Bulldogs tomorrow to highlight the opening weekend of the league’s centerpiece second semester event at the Mall of Asia Arena.

La Salle and Adamson, who both lost several key players during the off-season, clash at 4 p.m.

Ateneo and host University of the East collide in the other women’s match at 2 p.m.

Action continues on Sunday at the bayside Pasay venue, with an early showdown between NU and UST at 4 p.m., right after the 2 p.m. duel between Far Eastern University and University of the Philippines.

Another marquee match-up to watch out in the first round is the Feb. 25 tussle between the Lady Spikers and the Tigresses at 3 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

It was UST which dealt DLSU its lone defeat in Season 85.

The rivalry game between the Lady Spikers and the Blue Eagles is scheduled at 4 p.m. on March 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

La Salle has been dominant against Ateneo, having won its last 12 meetings dating back from May 2, 2017.

On the following day (March 3), the long-time rivals Tigresses and the Lady Tamaraws will cross paths at 4 p.m. on March 3 at the same Pasay arena, right after the Lady Warriors, with coach Jerry Yee facing his former team, take on the Lady Falcons at 2 p.m.

The first Big Dome matchday at the Big Dome will be on Feb. 21, which features the La Salle-FEU showdown at 2 p.m., and the UE-UST clash at 4 p.m.