De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde stayed in the hunt for the Group A top seed after blanking Jose Rizal University, 25-8, 25-22, 25-15, in the NCAA Season 101 women's volleyball tournament on Saturday at the San Andres Sports Complex in Manila.
The reigning four-time champions hardly broke a sweat, finishing off the Lady Bombers in just 1 hour and 19 minutes to improve to 9–3 and stay on track for the top spot in their group while JRU fell to 2-11.
Clydel Catarig starred in the straight-set romp by dropping 16 points built on 15 attacks and an ace while Zam Nolasco and Cam Bartolome each poured in 10 markers. Shekaina Lleses dazzled on both ends with nine points and 11 receptions as they sent JRU to its fourth loss in a row.
Despite the rout, JRU still showed up, especially in a narrow Set 2 affair where the wards of head coach Mia Tioseco crawled from six points down to trail by just two, 21-23, after a quick kill from Julia Dimatawaran.
Catarig replied with a cross-court hammer from the opposite side, but a service error from the Lady Blazers in the next play pumped some life into the Lady Bombers.
However, she came alive once more, finishing a combination play that gave Benilde a commanding 2–0 lead. The Lady Blazers then flaunted their championship poise in the third set, with Catarig firing a service ace to reach match point before an attack error from the Lady Bombers sealed the win.
Czarina Ramos, the fourth-leading scorer across the women's division prior to today's match, starred with 15 points laced with 10 receptions and four digs while Nicole Deala chipped in 10 markers.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
