The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers and Benilde Blazers outgunned the University of Perpetual Help Dalta (UPHSD) Lady Altas and Altas, 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, on May 25 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.
The Lady Blazers had a shaky start, committing multiple errors right off the bat, which the Lady Altas capitalized to their advantage. After finding their rhythm, the reigning queens surged with a 7-1 run fueled by Rhea Densing and Cristy Ondangan. Benilde called Clydel Catarig and Wielyn Estoque into action as the set reached its climax, with Estoque delivering the decisive blow, 25-15.
In a similar fashion, the error-plagued Lady Blazers allowed the Las Piñas squad to pull away with a 6-1 run driven by Pauline Reyes. The ladies in red and white were sans their usual scorers, Shai Omipon and Winnie Bedaña, but Mika Donig and Geraldine Palacio rose to the challenge. The Taft squad, on the other hand, had Mycah Go orchestrating attacks and Zam Nolasco locked down at the net, surging late in the set with a 6-1 run of their own, 25-23.
The intensity dialed up in the third set in a thrilling exchange between Benilde and Perpetual. The defending champions displayed mastery on the court as they broke free from the match’s longest and gruelest rally, carving out a six-point advantage paced by Densing and two service aces from Ondangan. The defending champions dashed Perpetual’s Final Four hopes with a 25-18 finish, marking their ninth consecutive win.
Meanwhile, the Benilde Blazers faced off with a commanding opponent, tripping themselves over the wrong footing and succumbing to the advances of the Perpetual Altas’ Kobe Brian Tabuga and Jeff Marapoc, 24-26. Bouncing back amidst the set loss, Rocky Motol rebounded from his set-ending lopsided dig and drew first and last blood on top of his mid-game 4-point run, 25-22.
With high stakes at play for the Altas, the Blazers were put on the edge with a tight set. Tabuga and Marapoc traded off kills with Motol, Jacob Herrera, and James Marasigan, who flexed their offensive and defensive prowess. Following a near brush with defeat at 28-27, John Austero pulled in with the saving grace with back-to-back wide-open clean kills, 30-28.
Coming off the high-adrenaline rush of the third set, the green and white team made quick work of the Las Piñas squad. The tandem consisting of Herrera and Mike Balbacal led with synergy to orchestrate a four-point head start. Marasigan then locked in for the final stretch, coming in with consistent plays and a pivotal service ace, to eliminate the Altas from Final Four contention, 25-17.
Benilde team captain Go led the game with 12 attacks, 11 digs, and 7 excellent receptions, while Motol soared with a whopping 28 points on 25 attacks, 3 blocks, 9 excellent digs, and 9 excellent receptions.
Set Scores:
Lady Blazers: 25-15, 25-23, 25-18
Blazers: 24-26, 25-22, 30-28, 25-17
