The Perpetual Help Lady Altas and the Letran Lady Knights continued their winning ways in NCAA Season 101 women’s volleyball on Friday with contrasting wins.
Lady Knights Prevail in Five-Set Duel
The Letran Lady Knights won their 12th in row as they survived a five-set challenge from the Arellano Lady Chiefs, 25-14, 24-26, 26-24, 20-25, 15-10.
Letran looked in control early, dominating the opening set with a convincing 25-14 win behind a strong offensive rhythm. Arellano bounced back in the second frame, however, edging the Lady Knights in a tight finish to level the match.
The third set turned into another close contest, with Letran regaining the upper hand after pulling through in the closing stretch. But the Lady Chiefs refused to fade, forcing a decider after taking the fourth set and extending the intense duel.
In the fifth set, the Lady Knights slowly took command. Holding a slim 11-9 advantage, Letran leaned on timely hits from Nicen Colendra and Vanessa Sarie while capitalizing on Arellano’s errors to pull away and seal the victory.
Sarie delivered a standout performance with 27 points built on 24 attacks, 2 blocks and 1 ace, while also contributing 16 digs and 13 receptions. Yen Martin and Judiel Nitura chipped in 19 and 18 points, respectively. Sam Tiratira and Kheisha Abitria led Arellano with 16 and 15 markers, respectively.
The victory lifted Letran to a pristine 12-0 record, while the loss dropped Arellano to 5-7. The Lady Knights will round out the eliminations against the San Beda Lady Red Spikers on Sunday. The Lady Chiefs, who are still in the hunt for a third-place finish in Group B, will play the EAC Lady Generals on Wednesday, March 11, for their last elimination round game.
Perpetual Cruises Past San Sebastian
In the second game, the Perpetual Help Lady Altas recorded a straight-sets triumph over San Sebastian Lady Stags, 25-17, 25-16, 25-19.
Perpetual controlled the tempo throughout the match, steadily pulling away in each set. But in the third set, the Lady Stags took the fight to Perpetual but ultimately fell short as Jem Menor and Cyrille Almeniana restored order.
Menor led the Lady Altas with 17 points anchored on 15 attacks and 2 service aces along with 8 digs. Almeniana added 14 markers from 12 attacks and 2 aces while also tallying 3 receptions.
Perpetual is now 10-2 and will look to end the elimination roundwith a victory over the Mapua Lady Cardinals this Sunday.
Juna May Gonzales paced the Lady Stags with 10 points as San Sebastian closed the elimination round with a 5-8 record. Their next match is in the Play-In against the JRU Lady Bombers.
