Pit two powerhouse teams against each other and you get a rivalry. Pit a storied program that’s on the rise against a team laboring to build a dynasty– you get Letran versus Benilde in a matchup made in volleyball heaven.
From Seasons 99 to 101, the Lady Blazers and the Lady Knights fought for the NCAA women’s volleyball title.
The first two were won handily by the former, en route to an elusive four-peat; the third and most recent was snatched by the latter, getting a piece of the trilogy in historic fashion.
SEASON 99: BENILDE’ S PERFECT RUN CONTINUES
The Season 99 Finals were quite the starter for a storied rivalry.
Back-to-back defending champions Benilde were aiming for a three-peat, looking to join the likes of San Sebastian, Perpetual, and Arellano as teams who had accomplished the rare feat.
Letran, who held the second most titles (9) in NCAA women’s volleyball history, had been scouring for their chances for quite some time, and were more than festive to have secured their first finals stint in 12 years.
Benilde, helmed by powerhouse coach Jerry Yee, swept the elimination round (9-0) and booked an outright ticket to the finals.
They were utterly dominant in virtually every match, only losing a total of three (3) sets the entire season– two against Mapua and one against San Sebastian – both in the elimination round. The rest were 3-0 victories.
That put Benilde’s Season 99 win-loss record (in sets) to 30–3.
Letran, under the tutelage of Letran alumnus and multi-titled mentor Oliver ‘Coach O’ Almadro, finished the elimination round as the No. 2 seed with 7 wins and 2 losses, losing only to Benilde and Mapúa.
The Lady Knights had to beat LPU in a tightly contested step-ladder match (3-2) to advance to the finals.
In the best-of-three championship series, Benilde’s absolute form was perfect as advertised, sweeping Letran both in Game 1 (25-21, 25-15, 25-14), and in Game 2 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18).
Contributions came aplenty for the Taft-based squad, with then-senior middle blocker Michelle Gamit bagging the best player honors in Game 1 (14 points on 11 attacks and 3 blocks), and season MVP Cloanne Mondoñedo getting the nod in Game 2 (4 points, 16 excellent sets).
It was Gayle Pascual, however, that bagged the Finals MVP award– her second in as many years.
Benilde’s Game 2 victory also extended their unbeaten streak to 40 total matches.
Benilde’s starting unit in the Season 99 finals against Letran: Zam Nolasco, Gayle Pascual, Cloanne Mondoñedo, Michelle Gamit, Jessa Dorog, Fiona Getigan, Wielyn Estoque
Letran’s starting unit in the Season 99 finals against Benilde: Natalie Estreller, Yen Martin, Gia Maquilang, Judiel Nitura, Lara Mae Silva, Royce dela Cruz
Leading the stellar cast were Season MVP and Best Setter Cloanne Mondoñedo (Benilde); as well as Best Libero Lara Mae Silva and Freshman of the Year Gia Maquilang (Letran).
SEASON 100: BENILDE FLEXES CHAMPIONSHIP DNA
The centennial season ran a relatively different course compared to Season 99. For one, the tournament had gone back to the double round-robin format, which entailed a longer season and a greater test of character and endurance.
Three-time reigning champs Benilde, at the time seeking an elusive four-peat, looked less invincible than in their past championship runs.
For the first time in four seasons, the Lady Blazers failed to sweep the elimination round. They collected 16 wins against two defeats (Mapùa, Letran) to still conclude the classification round as the top seed.
Ace middle blocker Zamantha Nolasco– only a sophomore in Season 100– had to step up to the plate and assume some form of leadership alongside veterans Mycah Go and Fiona Getigan following the departure of star players Cloanne Mondoñedo, Gayle Pascual, Mich Gamit, and Jade Gentapa.
The Lady Knights, meanwhile, were not so far below, sitting in second place with an impressive 15-3 win-loss slate. They were flanked by Judiel Nitura, Gia Maquilang, Lara Mae Silva, and Natalie Estrelle– familiar faces who were key cogs in their Season 99 silver medal finish.
Come the Final Four, Benilde took down Mapua in four sets, while Letran took care of business against Arellano in three, setting the stage for yet another Benilde-Letran face-off in the finals.
With all the slight hiccups and moments of vulnerability, Benilde’s championship DNA still prevailed, emerging victorious in the NCAA Season 100 Women’s Volleyball Finals after erasing Letran in two games.
They won the first with little resistance (26-28, 26-24, 25-16, 25-19), before sweeping Letran in the second game (25-19, 25-22, 25-19).
As the season concluded, it was clear that Benilde was still the standard upon which all women’s volleyball contenders would be measured, but chinks in their armor had begun to surface.
Losing a thrilling first set (26-28) in the finals opener showed a small but foreboding glimpse into the rise of their nemesis Letran as the latter gradually closed the gap.
Benilde’s starting unit in the Season 100 finals against Letran: Zam Nolasco, Chenae Basarte, Mycah Go, Shahannah Lleses, Cristy Ondangan, Rhea Mae Densing/Wielyn Estoque
Letran’s starting unit in the Season 100 finals against Benilde: Natalie Estreller, Vanessa Sarie, Judiel Nitura, Lara Mae Silva, Royce dela Cruz, Yen Martin/Gia Maquilang
The Season 100 Finals also featured a star-studded cast: Season MVP and Best Outside Spiker Mycah Go (Benilde); Best Middle Blocker Zamantha Nolasco (Benilde); Freshman of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and 2nd Best Outside Spiker Vanessa Sarie (Letran); Best Opposite Spiker Judiel Nitura (Letran); and Best Libero Lara Mae Silva (Letran).
SEASON 101: LETRAN DETHRONES BENILDE
Benilde, grouped with Perpetual, Mapua, San Sebastian, and JRU, finished in second place with 10 wins and 3 losses (vs. Letran, Perpetual, San Beda).
Letran, meanwhile, went unblemished in the classification round (13-0) to top Group B, which it shared with San Beda, Arellano, LPU, and EAC.
After clearing their respective brackets, Benilde and Letran once again emerged as the league’s top two squads, marking the third straight year they would battle each other for the women’s volleyball championship.
Game 1 was both a shocker and a revelation waiting to unfold. Letran pulled off what for four straight years had never been done, that was, to push Benilde to the edge in a high-stakes series. In reverse sweep fashion, the Lady Knights stopped Benilde off an explosive spike from Vanessa Sarie to seal their 15th point in Set 5 (17-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-14, 15-11).
Winning the opener placed a lot of pressure on Benilde, and gave Letran stronger reasons to believe not only in the possibility, but in the probability of an upset.
But Zam and co. would not back down without a fight.
In Game 2, the Lady Blazers fired away and finished the Lady Knights in only three sets, 25-18, 25-21, 27-25.
Some resistance was shown in the second and the third sets, but the green-and-white had too much firepower in the do-or-die-clinching victory, as Season MVP Zam Nolasco scattered 19 points on 16 attacks, 2 blocks, and an ace.
Game 3 was not for the faint of heart. Benilde and Letran dragged each in the trenches, reaching another five-setter to settle the score.
In the end, it was Letran’s veteran-laiden core led by three-time Best Libero and team captain Lara Mae Silva, back-to-back Best Opposite Spiker Judiel Nitura, former Rookie and Freshman of the Year Vanessa Sarie, supercharged by the ever-talented Gia Maquilang and Verenicce Colendra, that prevailed.
It was rookie head coach and former NCAA champion Mayeth Carolino in her prophetic return to the Letran program, and the vocal smarts of Finnish assistant Aleksi Lahteenmaki, that somehow, someway outcoached the legendary Coach Jerry Yee.
The fall of one was the beginning of a long-awaited reign of the other. The five-peat-seeking Benilde wanted to expand the empire, but it was Letran’s long-awaited resurgence that aligned with the stars in Season 101.
Letran starting unit in the Season 101 finals against Benilde: Natalie Estreller, Vanessa Sarie, Judiel Nitura, Lastlie Isar, Leonilyn Padilla, Gia Maquilang
Benilde’s starting unit in the Season 101 finals against Letran: Zam Nolasco, Chenae Basarte, Clydel Catarig, Shekaina Lleses, Cristy Ondangan, Camila Bartolome
Like in the two previous finals, Benilde and Letran were both headlined by multi-awarded rosters.
Back-to-back Best Opposite Spiker Judiel Nitura and three-time Best Libero Lara Mae Silva led the Intramuros team; while Season MVP and Best Middle Blocker Zam Nolasco, alongside Rookie of the Year and Freshman of the Year Cams Bartolome, Best Setter Chenae Basarte, and 2nd Best Outside Spiker Shekaina Lleses, flanked the Taft-based squad.
A rivalry that’s given the fans so many riveting moments, it’s only fitting that we got to witness the staging of a do-or-die Game 3 in the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Finals– Benilde versus Letran, for all the marbles, one list time– as the 101st season faced its final curtains.
