The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers and Benilde Blazers battled the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD) Lady Altas and Perpetual Altas on Feb. 28 at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila. The women’s team swept its foes, while the men’s team was on the bitter side of another sweep.
The Lady Blazers started off cold early in the first set after trailing by three, 1-4. However, despite the jitters early in the first set, the Lady Blazers kept themselves composed to reclaim the lead from the Lady Altas, 6-4. In a back-and-forth affair, Jade Gentapa and Mich Gamit paved the way for the Lady Blazers to claim the first set, 25-23.
The Lady Altas displayed their might, leading and controlling the entire pace of the second set. However, the Lady Blazers continued to defend the front lines and attack from the back end, headed by rookie Jessa Dorog and former finals MVP Gayle Pascual. The Taft squad edged out the Lady Altas to win the set, 25-21.
It was a close affair throughout the third set as the Lady Blazers opened the set firing from all corners after hard conversions from Dorog, Gentapa, and Pascual. On the other hand, the Lady Altas continued to show their prowess after taking a three-point lead in the latter part of the set, 17-20. Despite trailing, the Lady Blazers would work their way back and win the ball game, 25-22.
The Benilde Blazers took the court next, playing the unblemished UPHSD Altas. The Altas are the only team in the men's division with an undefeated record. They were hungry to add another win to their record, going up against the Benilde Blazers, who are currently on a losing streak.
Despite valiant efforts from Ryan Daculan, Leonard Jaboli, team captain Georgie Gauani, and the other Benilde Blazers, the Altas proved to be a cut above the rest. After dominating the Benilde Blazers throughout the match, the ball game ended with all three sets favoring the Altas with scores of 18-25, 24-26, and 15-25.
The #BenildeBlazers and #LadyBlazers will face the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates and Lady Pirates on Saturday, Mar. 4, at the same venue. The games will be aired live on the NCAA Philippines social media pages.
