Zam Nolasco refused to let her special day end in defeat, powering De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde to a 25-18, 25-21, 27-25 Game 2 victory over Colegio de San Juan de Letran in the NCAA Season 101 women’s volleyball finals on Wednesday.
Nolasco, who was crowned the new MVP just hours prior to the game, asserted her dominance at the net to lead the Lady Blazers in forcing a winner-take-all Game 3 with their fifth consecutive title on the line.
The fourth-year middle blocker torched Letran with 19 points, highlighted by the game-winning attack amid the huge Letran Set 3 uprising, while Cam Bartolome and Clydel Catarig chipped in 14 and 11 markers each.
Fiona Inocentes was also a revelation after dropping nine markers to backstop Nolasco and provide added threat at the net as they beat Letran for the first time this season.
"Sobrang nakaka-boost ng confidence po kasi ngayon lang nami sila natalo this season and sa finals pa so reward 'yun para sa amin 'yun [before] Game 3," Nolasco said.
"Malaki din pong recognition ['yung MVP award] for me as a player and hindi ko naman po pinersonal kasi hindi pa naman tapos 'yung trabaho namin this season."
With their season at stake, Benilde just flexed its might in the first two sets until early in the third frame, where the Lady Blazers unleashed a 9-1 start before Inocentes made that a 10-point lead, 15-5, by unloading a quick hammer.
However, the Lady Knights refused to quiet down with Nicen Colendra providing the comeback spark off the bench.
The opposite hitter subbed in for Judiel Nitura and delivered, scoring four points as part of an 8-3 run that allowed the Lady Knights to pull within one point, 21-22. Gia Maquilang then tied it at 22-all with a powerful spike from the left wing.
It became a tight affair from then on, but Benilde clinched the first match point off a service ace from Inocentes, 24-23. Colendra then continued to provide life for Letran with back-to-back kills that gave Letran the set point, 25-24.
Letran then committed a costly error when setter Hizki Flores overcooked her service, allowing Benilde to force a 25-all deadlock. Another Letran miscommunication, this time an overpass from Vanessa Sarie, paved the way for Benilde's match point.
It was Nolasco who put the game away with authority, punishing the Lady Knights with a kill from the middle off a perfect set-up from new Best Setter Chenae Basarte.
The win saw Benilde containing the top gunners from Letran with Judiel Nitura being limited to just nine points after a 21-point outing in the series opener as Colendra and Maquilang each poured in 11 markers.
—JKC, GMA News
