The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) men’s beach volleyball team boosted their final four bid after racking up two wins, while the women's beach volleyball team failed to secure a win in the second day of the NCAA Season 99 Beach Volleyball tournament on Jan. 25 at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone Sports Complex.
The first game for both teams was against the San Beda University (SBU) Beach Volleyball teams. The men in green and white, headed by Leonard Jaboli and Harold Marasigan, started the day with a dominant win over the Red Spikers, sweeping the men from Mendiola, 2-0.
On the other hand, the Lady Blazers opened the second day in a more competitive manner, going back and forth against the undefeated Lady Red Spikers. In what was a highly tight opening set, the duo of Angelika Mondejar and Doreen Baguio ran out of gas, surrendering the first set, 14-21. In the second set, the Taft squad made sure to even things up and would edge out the Lady Red Spikers, 22-20, to force a third set. The final set continued to be competitive, however, the Lady Red Spikers prevailed, ending the set, 12-15—handing the Lady Blazers’ first loss of the day.
The afternoon matches for both Taft squads were against the Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) Beach Volleyball team. The Benilde Blazers kicked off their afternoon match in a similar manner, sweeping the Generals, 2-0. The Lady Blazers also had a similar match, although this time, the ladies in green and white secured the opening set by dominating the Lady Generals 21-15. Despite a better start for the Taft squad, the duo of Baguio and Mondejar were exhausted in the next two sets and struggled to contain the Lady Generals. The second set was close to begin with, however the Lady Generals slowly pulled away from the Lady Blazers to secure the set, 15-21. The final set saw the ladies in green and white trailing for most part, and despite efforts from the Taft squad, the Lady Generals capitalized on their lead to win the game, 8-15.
To wrap up the day, the Benilde Blazers took on the reigning men's beach volleyball champions, the University of Perpetual Help System-DALTA (UPHSD) Altas, while the Lady Blazers, eager for a victory to conclude their day, faced last season's 1st runner-ups, the Lady Altas.
After swiftly defeating their first two opponents earlier in the day, the duo of Marasigan and Jaboli faced the defending champions in the final match. Both the Benilde Blazers and the Altas won a set, prolonging the game to a decisive third set. Unfortunately, the defending champions showed championship poise, handing the Blazers their first loss of the day, 1-2. On the other hand, the Lady Blazers were determined to finish the day on a positive note. However, the Lady Altas proved too challenging for the Lady Blazers. The game concluded with the Lady Altas winning the first two sets, both with a set score of 15-21.
The Benilde Blazers improved their win-loss record to 3-2, while the Lady Blazers continued to accumulate losses, now standing at 1-4.
Catch the Lady Blazers and the Benilde Blazers in their upcoming matches live on the NCAA Season 99 Beach Volleyball Tournament Facebook page.