The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers and Lady Blazers defeated the San Beda University (SBU) Red Spikers and Lady Red Spikers respectively, both 3-2, on March 13 at the Arellano University Gym in Manila City.
The first duel between the Blazers and the Red Spikers immediately sparked as a close match as both teams engaged in alternating lead changes. Benilde’s main man, Rocky Motol, displayed his scoring prowess as they breezed past the Red Spikers to nail the first set, 25-20.
However, things changed going into the second and third sets as the Blazers were completely dominated on both ends of the floor. San Beda’s Axel Van Book led the Mendiola squad in steering the second set, 14-25. The Blazers eventually tried to recover their lost momentum in the third period, but it wasn’t enough as the Red Spikers still capitalized on the extended set, 26-28.
Mike Balbacal was the turning factor for the Taft squad in the fourth quarter, as the agile middle blocker was unstoppable on the offensive end. Unforced errors also plagued the San Beda squad as the tempo completely shifted in favor of the Blazers, completely taking the fourth set on their side, 25-22. The final set made both teams exert all their tactical cards as the game took extra minutes. In the end, the duo of Motol and Balbacal remained consistent as the Blazers defeated the Red Spikers and took their fifth consecutive win, 19-17.
The Lady Blazers stepped on the floor with a faulty start against the Lady Red Spikers. Consecutive receiving errors took a toll on the defending champions as they surrendered the first set, 25-27.
An all-around effort by Zam Nolasco aided the Lady Blazers in bouncing back, as the middle blocker led the team in scoring and blocks. Jessa Dorog and Clydel Catarig also made their presence felt in the offensive end as the Lady Blazers took the second set, 25-19.
The third set saw Wielyn Estoque take over for the Benilde squad as she landed consecutive spikes in finishing the set, 25-20. The Lady Blazers continued to bring their strong offensive tempo in the fourth set, but a series of errors wasted their commanding efforts as the Lady Spikers snatched the set, 26-28.
The Taft squad made sure to bring it all out in the final set. Nolasco ensured to hover the defensive end of the Blazers, while Dorog and Estoque took on the offensive attacks. The Lady Blazers managed to bounce back on their loss as they took the fifth set, 15-12.
Motol led the Blazers with a career-high 26 points on 12 attacks and 5 blocks, while Lady Blazers’ Nolasco excelled with 22 points on 16 attacks, with 4 blocks and 2 aces.
The Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers will face the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates and Lady Pirates on March 21 at the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Gym with a live telecast on the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Set Scores:
Blazers: 25-20,14-25, 26-28, 25-22, 19-17
Lady Blazers: 25-27, 25-19, 25-20, 26-28, 15-12
