De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde held off a late rally by Jose Rizal University to pull off a 25-20, 23-25, 25-16, 25-22 win in NCAA Season 101 men's volleyball on Saturday at the San Andres Sports Complex.
The Blazers turned to reigning MVP Rocky Motol and Reymark Betco in the clutch as they added to the frustrations of the Bombers, securing their sixth win in a row for 9-3 card.
JRU slipped to 1-12 and is now relegated to the play-in stage, where the Bombers will slug it out against San Sebastian College-Recoletos with a quarterfinal berth at stake.
Motol almost had a triple-double outing in the match after pouring in 19 points, 19 receptions, and six digs while Betco scattered 17 markers. Dexter Graniada and Mike Balbacal chipped in 16 and 12 points apiece with the former grabbing 17 receptions to help the cause.
Behind Harry Ocay, the upset-hungry JRU staged an uprising in the fourth frame as the sophomore star helped the Bombers take a crucial 18-17 lead.
But the Blazers were quick to bring order with Motol completing a combination play and Betco unloading a kill from the opposite side to fuel a 4-0 run and regain a 21-18 cushion.
Paolo Barrientos rallied JRU with three straight attacks to pull them to within two, 21-23, but Graniada squeezed through the blockers to clinch the match point at 24-21. Motol put together the finishing blow as Benilde survived a Set 4 comeback from JRU to complete the romp.
Ocay, playing his second match back from an eight-game absence, topped JRU with 21 points together with 12 receptions while Barrientos churned out 16 markers and four digs.
Benilde will look to continue its winning ways on Wednesday, when it takes on Mapua University.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
