The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Benilde Blazers were edged out by the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Pirates, 2-3, while the Lady Blazers took charge against the Lady Pirates, 3-0, on May 30 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The Benilde Blazers took the court without Jacob Herrera due to a knee issue, while Rocky Motol and Mike Balbacal’s minutes were limited to allow them to rest for the Final Four. Missing key players, the Taft squad trailed for the entire first set, 20-25. However, courtesy of Dexter Granadia and James Marasigan,  they pulled off a comeback to level the playing field, 25-15.

The succeeding sets witnessed the same narrative as a back-and-forth affair ensued but with opposite outcomes as Kian Moral and Jun Edang led LPU to snatch the third frame while Benilde took the fourth set, 23-25 and 25-23 respectively.

A tight contest followed in the deciding final set. When the men donning green and white arrived at match point, an outside service and two consecutive attacks by Edang shifted the tide of the game, allowing the Muralla squad to snatch the victory, 15-17.

Meanwhile, the Lady Blazers were next to grace the court as they faced off against the Lady Pirates. With their perfect second-round record at stake, it was clear that the Taft squad wanted to cap off the elimination round with a victory as they outplayed their opponents, 25-20 and 25-18, in the first two sets. While Johna Dolorito provided a glimmer of hope for the women donning gray and red, the reigning champions proved to be too much for them, 25-12. 

Zam Nolasco was named Player of the Game with 12 points on 9 attacks and 3 blocks. 

Powered by a twice-to-beat advantage, the top-seeded Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers will face the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán (CSJL) Knights and the Mapua University (MU) Lady Cardinals, tomorrow, June 1, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre, with a live telecast on the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.

Set Scores:

Blazers: 20-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 15-17

Lady Blazers: 25-20, 25-18, 25-12