College of Saint Benilde and Arellano University both delivered contrasting victories on the opening day of the women’s division of the 2025 V-League Collegiate Challenge, Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.
The reigning NCAA champions Lady Blazers asserted their intent to reclaim the throne they surrendered last season by dominating University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, 25-19, 25-13, 25-18.
Meanwhile, the Lady Chiefs completed a thrilling reverse sweep against Mapua University, 20-25, 15-25, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13.
Benilde opened its campaign with a commanding win, powered by a balanced and relentless offense.
Cheanae Basarte led the charge with a crucial 6-0 run to kick off the third set, including an ace that sparked the Lady Blazers’ momentum.
Middle blocker Zam Nolasco set the tone early on with six attacks and four blocks, finishing with 10 points.
Fellow middle blocker Cristy Ondagan added eight points, while setter Basarte distributed 16 excellent sets and chipped in six points herself.
Head coach Jerry Yee, who has been building Benilde into a well-oiled machine, expressed pride despite the team still being in a building phase. “To be honest, parang nag-start pa lang kami eh. Kasi ‘yung calendar namin katatapos lang and we’re finishing off some tournaments lang.
“Pero ito, bagong tournament na agad, so halos hindi pa naman tayo nakakapag-prepare for the next season, for the next lineup.”
Perpetual Help fought hard early, led by senior Shai Omipon, who finished with eight points, but Benilde’s cohesive attack proved too much.
(C) V-League
In a rematch of last NCAA season’s battle for third place, Arellano rallied from two sets down to defeat Mapua in an epic five-set duel.
Key holdovers Sam Tiratira and Laika Tudlasan were instrumental in the comeback.
Tiratira, the team captain and middle blocker, tallied 12 points with nine attacks and three blocks.
Cris Servidad led all scorers with 19 points, while Tudlasan’s clutch hitting off the bench, including three points in the final set, swung momentum firmly to the Lady Chiefs.
After dropping the first two sets, Arellano’s coaches reminded their players that the match wasn’t over.
The Lady Chiefs responded with renewed focus, eking out narrow wins in the last three sets, culminating in a tense 15-13 finish in the fifth.
Coach Obet Javier praised the players’ resolve: “Yung set of players na ‘to, may mga bago. So, tinry ko ‘yung mga bagong players and nung first two sets, nangangapa pa kasi unang laro nila sa collegiate. Buti ‘yung mga players tumugon sa challenge namin na hindi pwedeng ganito lang mangyayari sa ‘tin. Nagpa-practice tayo everyday. ‘Yun lang ang sinabi ko sa kanila, na maniwala sila sa kakayahan nila.”
Mapua started strong behind team captain Nicole Ong and Raissa Ricablanca, who finished with 21 points, but couldn’t close out the match.
