The De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) Lady Blazers dropped a tough five-set battle to the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Lady Knights, 2-3, while the Blazing Spikers fell 1-3 to the Mapúa University (MU) Cardinals, as both teams suffered Game 1 finals losses today, April 5, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila City.
The Lady Blazers were first on the Taraflex as they started strong against the Lady Knights with Zam Nolasco and Camila Bartolome to secure the first set, 25-17. However, in the second canto the Muralla Squad activated Judiel Nitura and Gia Maquilang to take the set after a close exchange at the net, 23-25.
The Taft squad capitalized on their opponents’ errors with Clydel Catarig leading their offense, while Maquilang and Vanessa Sarie led Intramuros’ attempts were to no avail, 25-20. The third set saw less action from the ladies in green and white due to uncharacteristic errors and offensive silence, leading to a lukewarm performance, 14-25.
The decider saw Shahanna Lleses activate with back-to-back service aces early in the set, however, Nitura and Maquilang led the charge against the reigning queens with Sarie delivering the final point to secure the Lady Knights’ first finals win since Season 98.
The Blazing Spikers were next on the Taraflex as Raymark Betco, Dexter Graniada, Mike Balbacal, and Rocky Motol led a dominant display in the historic venue with Adriane Austero claiming the set point, 25-19.
The second set saw a flurry of errors rain down on the Taft squad as they were flooded by Ar-Jay Ramos, Barbie San Andres, and Patrick Reyes, however, the men in green and white rallied behind Betco in a tug-of-war. The Blazing Spikers mounted a late-game push but lost grip with a service error, 23-25.
The third canto saw action from Taft’s Alvin Sulayman as they attempted to slash down Mapúa’s cushion, but the men in yellow and red prevailed with Jan Mangulabnan sealing the set, 21-25. The fourth canto became crucial for the men in green and white, but San Andres reigned from the back row to claim the first game of the finals series, 23-25.
The Lady Blazers and Blazing Spikers look to bounce back as they go head-to-head against the Colegio de San Juan de Letran (CSJL) Lady Knights and Mapúa University (MU) Cardinals, respectively, on April 8 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum with a live telecast on Heart of Asia and the NCAA Philippines Facebook and YouTube pages.
Set Scores
Lady Blazers: 25-17, 23-25, 25-20, 14-25, 11-15
Blazing Spikers: 25-19, 23-25, 21-25, 23-25
