De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde protected its winning streak by turning back San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-17, in the NCAA Season 101 men's volleyball tournament on Tuesday at the EAC Gym.
The Blazers dropped the opening frame after the Stags unleashed a 7-3 run to close it out. But Benilde bared its fangs in the succeeding sets to complete the comeback and cruise to its fifth win in a row for an 8-3 card in Group A.
The Stags, meanwhile, fell to 5-7 with only one game left in their group stage assignment against University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
Tied at 18-all in Set 1, the Stags seized control with a 6-1 rampage capped off by a Jan Arano ace that sent San Sebastian to a commanding 24-19 advantage. Benilde attempted to rally, but Kyle Villamor’s sharp cross-court kill proved too much, allowing San Sebastian to draw first blood.
But the Blazers refused to let the Stags pull the rug out from under them.
The Taft crew won the next two sets before pulling away late in Set 4 to complete the four-set romp. The Blazers turned a slim 15-14 lead into a huge 20-14 cushion when Dexter Graniada powered a 5-0 blast that put them ahead by six.
Reymark Betco made that a 22-16 advantage with a kill from the opposite side before reigning MVP Rocky Motol buried a cross-court hammer to bring Benilde to a seven-point lead.
Team captain and middle blocker John Austero delivered the match point with an ace before Motol and Balbacal conspired to deny Zafrulla Sali from the right wing and seal the victory.
The win moved Benilde a step closer to securing an outright quarterfinal berth, with two crucial group stage assignments still ahead against Jose Rizal University and Mapua University.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
