The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers displayed dominance against the Colegio San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Lady Knights, 3-0, bringing home the NCAA Season 99 Championship on May 26 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The first set saw the Lady Blazers off to a strong start, leading by as much as five, 11-6. However, the Lady Knights nailed down a series of service aces and forced errors by the Taft squad tightened the score to 11-12. The ladies in blue and white even grabbed the lead after a Nizelle Martin spike brought them to a one-point lead, 15-16. The Lady Blazers gradually bounced back and won the set 25-18, thanks to finishing touches by graduating seniors Jade Gentapa and Gayle Pascual.
The second set opened with a point from the newly crowned NCAA Season 99 MVP Cloanne Mondoñedo, which eventually ignited an 8-4 run by the ladies in green and white. However, four straight points from the Lady Knights knotted the game up, which woke up the Lady Blazers for four unanswered points of their own. A hard hitting Mich Gamit, who delivered a spike, helped close the set, 25-17.
The third set saw the same theme. Just when the Lady Blazers looked like they were running away, it invited the Lady Knights to ignite their own spark to crawl back. After a five-point lead by the Lady Blazers midway through the set, the ladies from Muralla managed to even things up, 15-15 before a timeout was called. After the timeout, the Lady Blazers never took their foot off the gas as they built a lead all the way to the end, with Gamit taking honors for the 25th point of the set, putting the exclamation mark on the season and grabbing their third-straight championship in the NCAA.
Pascual led all scorers with 15 points, to bring home her second Finals MVP, while Mondoñedo displayed a glimpse of her MVP form with 16 excellent sets. Coach Jerry Yee also won the Coach of the Year, after leading the Taft squad to another flawless season, and extending the Lady Blazers win streak to 40 games, dating back to Season 97.
In an exclusive interview with The Benildean, Coach Yee wanted Zamantha Nolasco and Pascual to be part of the National team if it wasn’t for the conflicting schedule. “Talagang ‘di natin pwede i-spread ourselves too thin, NCAA kasi trabaho namin [...] nakakainggit nga eh, nandoon sana sila Gayle at si Zam pero next time na lang.”
The Lady Blazers will lose four players next year, which Coach Yee ensured preparation in recruitment in the offseason to try and win more championships in the long run.
Set Scores: 25-18, 25-17, 25-18
