College of Saint Benilde moved on the cusp of securing a back-to-back sweep of the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament after dominating upstart Lyceum of the Philippines University in Game One of the Season 98 Finals, 25-17, 25-19, 25-19, Tuesday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre.
The Lady Blazers, who extended their winning streak to 28 games, will have a chance to secure the school’s third-ever title on Friday at the same venue.
In their March 4 elimination round outing, the Lady Blazers took the game in five sets, 22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-13, 15-9. Now? The defending champions flat-out dominated this one.
After winning the first two sets, CSB started strong with a 9-3 run in the third set, capped by a service error from Lyceum’s Kat Galedo.
They never looked back, and Weilyn Estoque’s cross-court kill gave them an imposing 23-16 lead
Following a net fault error from Lyceum that sent the game to match point, Estoque sealed the win with a cross-court kill.
CSB head coach Jerry Yee felt satisfied with his players following the game plan. Now, he looks forward to making adjustments for their next game against the Lady Pirates.
“One game at a time kami. So, happy kami na we got it, and then lamang sa blocks, good, sa mga napag-usapan namin, and ‘yung mga placing namin sa floor defense. So we got it right, so happy kami,” he said.
“Then hopefully, second game ma-implement namin, and then makapag-adjust kung may adjustments whenever,” he added.
Gayle Pascual led the way for the Lady Blazers with 15 points built on 12 attacks and three blocks.
Jade Gentapa also contributed nine points with eight attacks, while Gamit produced eight points.
Team captain Cloanne Mondoñedo got three points on two aces and tossed 12 excellent sets. Jessa Dorog added nine excellent digs and eight excellent receptions.
On the other side, no player reached double digits.
Joan Doguna led the Lady Pirates with nine points on eight attacks and an ace.
Venice Puzon provided seven excellent sets, while Johna Dolorito contributed nine excellent digs and eight excellent receptions.
