The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers tallied an impressive win in the opening game of the NCAA women's volleyball finals, defeating the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Lady Knights on May 19 at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City.

The first set displayed forms of intensity from both teams, with Benilde and Letran exchanging witty attacks. The Lady Knights were able to capitalize on the early errors of the Lady Blazers, but the ladies in green and white made sure to bounce back, as Cloanne Mondoñedo made her own offensive run with two successful sets for Gayle Pascual and an open 1-2 play, 12-12. Mycah Go made an immediate impact by tallying an ace and successful digs, 14-14. Late in the first set, errors struck the momentum of the Lady Blazers, giving the Lady Knights a quick two-point lead, 17-19. Mich Gamit and Zam Nolasco took advantage of the height disparity to reclaim the lead and eventually claim the set, 25-21.

The second set saw a stronger defensive end for the Taft squad, led by Jessa Dorog and Fiona Getigan, who were the leaders in total digs. Despite having a strong early start, receiving errors were still a problem that hindered the Lady Blazers to a positive momentum, 6-6. Pascual, Go, and Dorog immediately retaliated with their own offensive runs to initiate a dominant rally, 12-8. Mondoñedo capitalized on Gamit, who converted four quick attacks to finish the set, 25-14. 

The Lady Blazers retained their momentum in the third set, with Mondoñedo, Pascual, and Gamit leading the early offensive load, 5-1. Letran’s Gia Maquilang has been a strong opposition for the Lady Blazers, as the rookie has been the main scorer for the Lady Knights. The twin towers of the Taft squad, Nolasco and Gamit, have been a pesky force for Letran, leading the final rallies of the Lady Blazers, 16-4. Led by Maquilang, the Lady Knights made a quick offensive run that slowed down the Lady Blazers’ tempo. Despite the late setback, the Taft squad remained intact on their offensive stances, claiming the win in the finals opener, 25-12. 

Gamit was hailed as the best player of the game with 14 points in 11 attacks and 3 blocks, followed by Pascual with 14 points in 13 attacks and an ace. 

The Lady Blazers are now a win away from a historic three-peat title run. Catch them on Sunday, May 26, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan, as they seek to finish the series against the Lady Knights. 

Box Scores:

DLS-CSB (3) - Gamit 14, Pascual 14, Nolasco 12, Dorog 9, Estoque 4, Go 3, Gentapa 3, Basarte 1, Apostol 0, Catarig 0, Estenzo 0, Getigan 0, Ondangan 0

CSJL (0) - Maquilang 10, Nitura 9, Dela Cruz 6, Martin 5, Ledesma 2, Melendres 2, Tapang, 2, Estreller 1, Almirante 0, Calixto 0, Castro 0, Relucio 0, Silva 0, Yap 0