Colegio de San Juan de Letran survived a scare from San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 25-20, 25-27, 20-25, 25-12, 15-9, to formally clinch a Final Four spot in the NCAA Season 99 women's volleyball tournament on Wednesday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
The Lady Knights overcame a 2-1 set deficit to pull off a five-set escape and lock up the second seed in the stepladder semifinals with a 7-2 win-loss card while the Lady Stags ended their campaign at 2-7.
Rookie outside hitter Gia Maquilang displayed her brilliance yet again, churning out a career-high 25 points, highlighted by the game-winning ace, while also grabbing eight digs and nine receptions.
Judiel Nitura and Angelique Ledesma provided the lift with 13 and 12 markers apiece as they escaped the also-ran Lady Stags, who were eyeing to end their season in style.
The Lady Knights were unfazed despite dropping the second and third set to go on the brink of elimination, but the wards of head coach Oliver Almadro proved to be unstoppable in the fourth, mounting a 17-10 cushion with a Ledesma block before Maquilang took over to finish it off and force a decider.
The first-year sensation nailed four straight points to bring her side to a 21-11 lead before back-to-back kills put them at set point. Nitura then soared from the opposite wing to finally end it.
It then became a lopsided affair in the fifth with Letran erecting a huge 7-0 rampage as Maquilang's offspeed attack and an ace put the finishing blow for the Muralla crew.
Letran now awaits the winner of the stepladder clash between third-seeded Lyceum and fourth-ranked Arellano, which will slug it out on Sunday at the same venue.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
