The De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers overcame the Jose Rizal University (JRU) Lady Bombers in straight sets, 3-0, while Benilde Blazers recovered from a dropped set to defeat the Heavy Bombers, 3–1, today, March 7, at San Andres Gym in Manila City.
The Lady Blazers opened the match on a strong note as Clydel Catarig fired early points for the Taft squad. The women in green and white quickly took control of the set, never allowing the Lady Bombers to double their score. The Lady Blazers cruised to a dominant 25–8 first-set win to take a 1–0 lead.
In the second canto, the Lady Bombers fought back and managed to cut the deficit from six points down to just two, 23–21, in a late push led by Julia Dimatawaran. However, Catarig answered with a sharp cross-court hit to bring the Lady Blazers to set point, before the Taft squad made a quick combination play to take the set, 25-22.
In the final set, the Lady Bombers attempted to rally back as Czarina Ramos ignited their offense with back-to-back points early in the frame. For the Lady Blazers, however, Zam Nolasco responded by leading Benilde and giving the team a two-point early advantage. Despite their late effort to close the gap, JRU struggled to keep pace as the women in green and white maintained control to secure the set, 25-15, completing the sweep.
The men in green and white were next on the Taraflex court as they opened with Rocky Motol at the helm and claimed the first set, 25-20. However, the Shaw squad was quick to respond in the second canto and edged out Taft in a nail-biting affair, 23-25.
The Taft squad brushed off the setback and regained their footing in the third set with a commanding response, 25-16. The Blazers stayed composed in the fourth canto after a short revival from the Heavy Bombers, but Motol, Chris Villanueva, and Mike Balbacal’s combo play closed out the match at 25-22.
Catarig led the Lady Blazers’ offense with 16 points built on 15 attacks and an ace, while Motol delivered an all-around performance with 19 points from 17 attacks and two blocks, along with six digs and nine excellent receptions to earn the Player of the Game honors.
The Benilde Blazers and Lady Blazers will face the Mapúa University (MU) Cardinals and Lady Cardinals on March 11 at the same venue with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Set Scores:
Lady Blazers: 25-8, 25-22, 25-15
Blazers: 25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22
