The College of St. Benilde Lady Blazers displayed poise and character in a pressure-filled situation as they overcame a 0-2 set deficit and triumphed over Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights in five sets, 25-27, 23-25, 25-22, 25-7, 15-12 in the NCAA Season 92 Women’s Volleyball Sunday afternoon at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Three Lady Blazers led Saint Benilde’s charge in today’s win, which marks their second straight. Ranya Musa and Jeanette Panaga each produced 19 markers off 13 and 10 attacks each to lead all scorers. Rachel Austero supplied 10 markers, while Pauline Cardiente provided 35 excellent sets.
Letran, who trailed in the early goings of the opening set, made a furious comeback late that shocked the Lady Blazers. CSB reached match point first, 24-19, but Letran, behind numerous blocks and running attacks from Miracle Mendoza and Mikaela Lopez, fought back to take a 25-24 lead. A service error from Letran made it a deuce at 25-all. The Lady Blazers had chances, but two straight violations sent the Lady Knights to a 1-0 set win, 27-25.
The second period saw the two squads drown in errors on both ends, which proved more costly for the Lady Blazers. The latter climbed back from 20-17 through defensive efforts to take the upper hand, 23-22, but their run went to waste, as Musa and Ellaine Dolorito committed three straight unforced errors — a service and two net errors — allowing the Lady Knights to go up 2-0 over the defending champions, 25-23
CSB, now down 0-2, managed to regroup and regain their groove in the third set. However, Letran proved to be a tough nut to crack, punching in attacks to go within touching distance from the Lady Blazers. Benilde went closer to match point, 23-20, but a check ball and an ace by CSJL halted their run, 23-22. Letran tried to come back, but a Benilde off-the-block hit and an attack error by Jan Carreon meant Benilde could snatch the frame, 25-22.
CSB displayed total domination in the fourth set. Playing perfectly on both offense and defense, the Lady Blazers zoomed to a 13-3 lead early. The Lady Knights were stunned, as Benilde continued to pound their weak net and floor defenses. The former only chipped in four points, mostly off quick hits from Lopez, as the period ended in favor of the team in green in a lopsided manner, 25-7.
Both squads traded blows come the match’s fifth and final period. From a 7-all knot midway, the Blazers, behind Musa and Panaga, posted a 10-7 lead over Letran. Saint Benilde then gained momentum to reach match point first, 14-11. The Lady Knights scored off a quick attack to try spark a Letran hijack, but it was all too late, as the Blazers scored off an open hit of their own to seal the set, 15-12, and the match.
“Yung first two sets parang yung players ko, ‘di pa gising,” said CSB head coach Michael Cariño postgame, regarding the team’s slow start in the first two sets.
“Pagdating nung third set, sabi ko kuhaan lang natin ng isang set ang Letran, made-demoralize yan. Kung ano yung ibinigay nila na intensity, ibabalik natin yun. Ayun nangyari naman,” Cariño added.
Lopez led Letran with 18 points off 11 attacks in the loss, which sends them to a 1-1 record.
CSB (2-0) will try to post their third win in a row against Mapua on Wednesday, November 23, at 1PM. Letran (1-1), meanwhile, will aim to bounce back on Friday, November 25, as they face San Sebastian at 11:30 AM.
The Scores:
CSB (3) – Musa 19, Panaga 19, Austero 10, Dolorito 9, Santillan 8, Cardiente 3, Ventura 0, Sulit 0, Avila 0, Torres (L), Lim (L).
CSJL (2) – Lopez 18, Torres 12, Carreon 9, Barrinuevo 9, Mendoza 8, Abitan 2, Larioque 1, Parin 0, Bangcola 0, Angeles (L), Laserna (L).
