COLLEGE of St. Benilde banked on its quickness to overcome a sluggish start and deny Philippine Army in a grueling five-setter, 16-25, 25-16, 25-27, 25-14, 15-9, in the 2024 PNVF Champions League on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
The Lady Blazers, the back-to-back National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champions, outsmarted the Army in the crucial fifth set as they banked on Wielyn Estoque and middle blocker Zamantha Nolasco at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to get their first victory.
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“We kept our composure heading to the crucial moments of the game by sticking to our game plan. We adjusted very well, followed every detail, and we also knew that our opponent has a lot of experiences than us,” Estoque said. “So we listened very well to our coach.”
Benilde got the upper hand in the deciding fifth set, taking a 12-7 lead before Rhea Mae Densing’s final kill sent the Army to back-to-back losses in the tournament.
Estoque fired 16 kills and a block for 17 points, while Nolasco had 13 kills and four blocks for 17 points, and Gayle Pascual made 15 kills and added two blocks for 17 points lead the Lady Blazers of coach Jerry Yee.
After a bad first set showing, Benilde retaliated immediately to beat the Lady Troopers in the second set.
Royse Tubino, who scattered 17 points, led Army’s attack in the third set to take a 2-1 set lead, but Saint Benilde was able to adjust in the fourth and fifth sets to seal the victory.
“We came here not as champion but a team willing to learn and gain experience from our opponent,” team captain Jessa Dorog said. “We just played our game, nothing more and nothing less.”
Meanwhile, Benilde is going to face Chery Tiggo (0-1) at 3:30pm followed by Cignal HD Spikers against Philippine Army at 6 p.m.
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