The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers are the 2023 VLeague Collegiate Challenge Champions after a 3-0 win against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Lady Tamaraws in game two of the finals, today, Sept. 29, at the Paco Arena Events and Sports Center.
The first set saw the Lady Tamaraws draw first blood twice with a 2-0 start. The Lady Blazers then showed them how to begin a match with double the amount, as a Gayle Pascual point turned it to a 4-2 lead for Benilde. The whole set was pretty much a balanced scoring affair, as every time the Lady Blazers pulled away for a little bit, the Lady Tamaraws would turn hungrier a little more. But after a 19-18 score on the board, FEU ran out of gas and the Taft squad tallied six straight points, as a Zamantha Nolasco block sealed their 25th point for a 1-0 set lead.
The second set was nothing but dominance from the ladies in green and white, as Nolasco blocked it for a 8-3 lead, forcing FEU to call a timeout. Errors after errors from the Lady Tamaraws were crucial as it gave the Lady Blazers a nice cushion the whole set, giving them leads as big as seven. Even though a last push was done by the girls from Morayta, a short serve in the end summarized their whole performance in the set as it gave the Lady Blazers point 25.
The third set kicked off with the Lady Tamaraws catching fire by taking advantage of a Nolasco-less Benilde lineup. After a Mitzi Panangin block led FEU to a 3-6 advantage, coach Jerry Yee turned frustrated and called time to talk things over. The timeout saw Nolasco getting back on the court, marching the Lady Blazers’ steady comeback. After Jade Gentapa knotted things up at 9-9, the Lady Tamaraws didn't seem bothered as another Panangin block got the Lady Blazers back in a two-point deficit, 10-12, forcing coach Yee to talk to his players again. The timeout proved to do wonders as Pascual and Wielyn Estoque took turns scoring. It also helped for the Lady Blazers that the Lady Tams had an even worse situation of tempering their errors, as a 10-to-1 ratio in that department and a bad spike attempt ended the game, 25-18, handing the Lady Blazers the win and the crown as the 2023 VLeague Collegiate Challenge Champions.
The finals MVP was awarded to Gayle Pascual, who scored 12 points in game one and seven in game two. Nolasco was a great wall, leading the Lady Blazers with 12 points. Panangin, on the other hand, was the front lady for FEU, chipping in 11 points.
After the game, season awards were handed out to players who deserved to be the best in certain categories. The Lady Blazers who were given trophies were Gentapa for Best Outside Spiker, Nolasco for Best Middle Blocker, and Pascual for Best Opposite Spiker.
SET SCORES: 25-18, 25-19, 25-18
DLS-CSB (3): Nolasco 12, Pascual 7, Gentapa 6, Catarig 6, Dorog 5, Gamit 5, Estoque 5, Mondoñedo 2, Basarte 0, Estenzo 0, Getigan 0, Ondangan 0, Borromeo 0, Densig 0
FEU (0): Panangin 11, Tagaod 9, Medina 5, Bedonia 4, Petallo 4, Ubaldo 4, Asis 3, Bakanke 3, Kiseo 0, Truz 0, Gallo 0, Encarnacion 0, Monares 0, Ellarina 0
