The De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Blazers edged past the Colegio de San Juan de Letrán (CSJL) Knights in an epic 36–34 second set to secure a 3–0 win, while the Lady Blazers pushed their finals rivals, the Lady Knights, to a grueling five-set battle, 2–3, today, Feb. 22 at the San Andres Gym in Manila City.
The Benilde Blazers opened with an early push with Raymark Betco and Rocky Motol delivering thrusting attacks, while the Letran Knights acted with urgency as Christer Ambrocio pierced through the walls of Taft, forcing a back-and-forth deadlock. Dexter Graniada ended the all-square match, earning Benilde the first-set win, 25-20.
The second frame saw the opposite outcome as the opponents took initial control of the game with Dave Lardazibal, Bembem Bautista, and Ambrocio of the Knights executed combination plays, while the squad of Taft took a tight grasp on hope as JV Estrada, Betco, and Graniada inched their scores closer, allowing the team to chase down the gap. In the end, the neck-and-neck battle was cut by Mike Balbacal, notching another win for Benilde, 36-34.
In the final canto, the men in green and white started strong, seizing control on the court as Betco established an initial early advantage for the team placing the opponents in a pit of doom. However, Vince Hinzon opposed the team’s destined collapse, pushing Letran to carry on. Ultimately, Benilde handled the set with ease, ending at 25-20.
The spotlight shifted to the Lady Blazers, who faced last season’s finals rivals, the Lady Knights. The women traded early blows as the Lady Knights pulled ahead with steady scoring from Judiel Nitura and Natalie Estreller. The Taft squad found their rhythm as Ash Lleses, Clydel Catarig, and Camila Bartolome chipped away at the deficit with Zamantha Nolasco leading the squad to an 8-0 run, capped by back-to-back points from Kai Lleses to close out the set, 25-15.
Momentum shifted in the second canto, as Letran leaned on service aces, slide attacks, and transition kills from Vanessa Sarie and Gia Maquilang to pull ahead. The women in green and white countered with smart cross-court hits, but the Lady Knights held the edge. In the third set, the Taft squad reasserted control early with Catarig running a high-tempo offense and Lleses pressuring from the service line to reclaim the lead.
In the fourth frame, Muralla came out firing, capitalizing on the errors of the Lady Blazers to build a commanding advantage. Despite sparks from Nolasco, Catarig, and the Twin Terrors, the women in blue and red kept up the intensity, forcing a deciding fifth set. The decisive round unfolded as a back-and-forth battle, with both teams trading long rallies and quick middle attacks.
The Lady Blazers stayed within striking distance but the Lady Knights optimized service aces and down-the-line hits to ultimately close out the deciding set, 10-15.
The Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers will clash once more with the Mapúa University (MU) Cardinals and Lady Cardinals on Feb. 25 at the same venue with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Set Scores
Blazers: 25-20, 36-34, 25-20
Lady Blazers: 25-15, 19-25, 25-19, 15-25, 10-15
