De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde turned a highly-awaited affair into a sweep after snuffing out Colegio de San Juan Letran’s streak, 25-18, 25-21, 25-19 in the NCAA Season 99 women’s volleyball tournament on Sunday.
The two-time defending champions Lady Blazers hiked their record to 5-0 for the solo top spot while the Lady Knights saw their perfect start come to an end to drop to third with a 4-1 slate.
Gayle Pascual and Wielyn Estoque led the charge with 12 and 11 points apiece with the veteran opposite hitter also grabbing eight digs as they extended their overall win streak to 34 since 2020.
The Lady Blazers had a second set turning point after unleashing a 7-0 run to seize a 17-11 cushion before Letran's sophomore opposite hitter Judiel Nitura answered with two straight aces to cut the deficit to two, 20-18.
Still, Benilde showed poise with Pascual hammering a kill from the opposite as they took a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Letran had some kind of momentum in the final frame with middle blocker Angge Ledesma completing a quick play for a 15-13 lead before they secured a slim 18-17 upper hand. Benilde, though, responded with a massive 5-0 rampage capped by an Estoque attack, 22-18.
Estoque produced back-to-back attacks from the left wing to deliver the last two points and the win.
Gia Maquilang paced Letran with nine points and six receptions while Yen Martin finished with eight markers despite missing most of the third set as Lea Tapang subbed in and tallied five.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
