The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers witnessed the end of their 43-game winning streak while the Benilde Blazers continue to be a force to be reckoned with, 0-3 and 3-1 outings respectively on March 8 at the Lyceum of the Philippines University Gym in Manila City.
The first Season 99 finals rematch of the season felt intense from the get go as a see-saw battle emerged during the first set. While errors plagued the defending champions, Wielyn Estoque and Mycah Go led the Lady Blazers’ offense. However, the Lady Knights’ desire to avenge their finals loss manifested on the court with Yen Martin steering the offense and Natalia Estreller with excellent sets to secure two consecutive sets, 22-25 and 23-25 respectively.
The third set played out similarly to the previous ones until the ladies in green and white bounced back by scoring consecutive points to extend the match. Unfortunately, an outside shot by Jessa Dorog shifted the tide of the game as Gia Maquilang hammered the final nail in the coffin in the succeeding play to hand Benilde their first taste of defeat since Season 95, 24-26.
The Benilde Blazers and the Letran Knights were next to battle it out on the taraflex, and the Taft squad wasted no time as they effortlessly ruled the court, 25-9. However, the men donning blue and red led by Vince Himzon and Bembem Bautista remained composed to bounce back and even the slate in their favor, 21-25.
With Rocky Motol and Arnel Aguilar at the forefront of the offense, the men in green and white would never look back as they sealed the victory to remain atop the standings, winning the second and third sets, 25-17 and 25-19 respectively.
Super rookie Motol was once again the Benilde Blazers’ top performer with 18 points and 17 attacks.
The Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers will face the San Beda University Red Spikers and Lady Red Spikers on March 13 at the Arellano University (AU) Gym with a live telecast on the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Set Scores:
Lady Blazers: 22-25, 23-25, 24-26
Benilde Blazers: 25-9, 21-25, 25-17, 25-19
