The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers blazed past the Arellano University (AU) Chiefs, 3-1, to claim their first victory in the V-League 2025 Collegiate Challenge Conference on Aug. 30 at the Paco Arena in Manila City.

Right off the bat, the match was intense as neither team was able to gain a clear edge. With Arellano on the brink of taking the opener, Rocky Motol’s crosscourt hit and a sharp ace kept the Blazers in contention, 21-23. Benilde then fended off two set points before AU captain Jiwen Sinuto and Arman Guinto delivered late to close the set for the Chiefs, 23-25.

The Blazers came out firing in the second round, starting with a seven-point surge powered by Reymark Betco and Mike Balbacal to turn the score, 8-1. From there, the Taft team maintained control and comfortably leveled the match by taking the second set, 25-14.

With both teams eager to notch their first win, AU struck first in the third set with a 7-1 burst, but the men in green and white soon answered with seven straight points to tie the score at 10-10. Neither side yielded as the frame turned into another thriller. The set stretched past deuce until errors from the Chiefs handed Benilde the pivotal set, 30-28.

Riding their momentum, the Blazers carved out a seven-point cushion midway through the fourth set as Mark Macagaling fired crucial points to keep Benilde ahead. JV Estrada brought the Taft squad to match point, but the determined duo of Guinto and Sinuto rallied to stay alive for four points. Motol then finished with a clean hit over the block to secure Benilde’s first victory of the tournament, 25-22.

Motol spearheaded the Blazers with 21 points off 18 attacks and 3 aces on top of solid defense.

The Benilde Blazers will face the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Knights next on Sept. 3 at the same venue with a live telecast on V-League’s official website, Facebook, and YouTube pages.

Set Scores:

DLS-CSB vs AU: 23-25, 25-14, 30-28, 25-22