College of St. Benilde continued its impressive comeback run with a decisive 25-21, 25-22, 25-21 victory over NCAA finals rival Colegio de San Juan de Letran, putting itself back in the thick of things in the V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge at the Paco Arena in Manila on Sunday.
Wielyn Estoque led the charge for the Lady Blazers with 22 points, including 19 on attacks, two blocks, and an ace, while Zamantha Nolasco and Mary Borromeo added 10 and nine points, respectively.
The win marked St. Benilde’s second consecutive victory after overcoming a pair of setbacks earlier in the pre-season tournament organized by Sports Vision, tying them at second with the UP Lady Maroons and the FEU Lady Tams.
Despite the winning streak, St. Benilde coach Jerry Yee remained focused on improvement.
“Happy we won, pero practice pa rin. Dami pang kailangan gagawin,” said Yee.
While Letran made a push, closing the gap from 12-17 to 16-18 in the third set, the reigning NCAA champions held their composure. Key plays from Rhea Densing and Estoque ensured that the Lady Blazers maintained control and completed the sweep.
St. Benilde outperformed Letran in the attacking department, with 17 kills compared to Letran’s 12 in the opening set. The Lady Blazers’ offensive strength continued into the next set, with Mary Borromeo contributing significantly to the team’s strong finishing performance.
The Lady Blazers will look to build on their momentum when they face the unbeaten University of Santo Tomas (3-0) on Aug. 25 at 10 a.m.
“Wala, same. Kasi bawat practice naman, we try to maximize our practices so ganon lang, all-out effort and whatever happens, happens,” added Yee on their game plan against the Golden Tigresses.
For Letran, Sheena Sarie and Gia Maquilang scored 10 and eight points, respectively, but the Lady Knights fell to a 1-1 record.
They will try to bounce back against the University of the East on Sept. 1 at 5 p.m.
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