The Benilde Lady Blazers and Lyceum Lady Pirates picked up wins on Saturday as the elimination round of the NCAA Season 101 women’s volleyball tournament draws to a close.
Lyceum Snaps Six-Game Losing Streak with Win Over EAC
The Lyceum Lady Pirates snapped their six-game losing skid after outlasting the winless EAC Lady Generals, 25-21, 14-25, 19-25, 25-20, 15-12, in a thrilling five-set finish.
The Lady Pirates opened the match strong by claiming the first set, but EAC responded with back-to-back wins in the second and third frames to move within a set of finally breaking into the win column this season.
Refusing to yield, Lyceum regrouped in the fourth set as Stacey Lopez led the charge to force a deciding frame. The Lady Pirates then surged to a quick 3-0 start in the fifth before the Lady Generals answered with a similar run to tie the score.
Lyceum eventually created breathing room behind a Lopez overpass conversion and a quick attack from Hiromi Osada that pushed the lead to 13-7. The Lady Pirates moved to match point at 14-8 following a service miscue from EAC, but the Lady Generals mounted a late push with four straight points capped by an Angel Perez kill to trim the gap to 14-12.
Lopez, however, delivered the finishing blow to secure the victory and end Lyceum’s six-game slide.
Lopez finished with 20 points, while Ashley Muchillas added 17 markers. Shiela Muchillas also delivered a triple-double effort with 11 points, 17 digs, and 14 receptions.
Cara Dayanan paced EAC with 17 points, with Alessandra Razonable and Perez contributing 13 and 10, respectively.
LPU is now 4-9, while EAC remains winless with a 0-12 record. The two squads will face each other again in the Play-In tournament of Group B, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals, joining the Letran Lady Knights, San Beda University, and the Arellano Lady Chiefs.
Benilde Dismantles JRU
The reigning champions, the Benilde Lady Blazers, kept their bid for the Group A top seed alive after sweeping the JRU Lady Bombers, 25-8, 25-22, 25-15.
The Lady Blazers dictated the pace from the start, cruising through the opening set before facing brief resistance in the second. JRU trimmed a six-point deficit to 21-23 after a quick hit from Julia Dimatawaran, but Clydel Catarig answered with a cross-court attack before later completing a combination play to secure a two-set advantage.
Benilde then asserted its championship composure in the third set as Catarig fired a service ace to reach match point before a JRU attack error sealed the victory.
Catarig led the Lady Blazers with 16 points, while Zam Nolasco and Cam Bartolome chipped in 10 each. Shekaina Lleses also added 9 points and 11 receptions.
Czarina Ramos led JRU with 15 points, while Nicole Deala finished with 10.
The win improved Benilde’s record to 9-3, just slightly behind Perpetual’s 10-2 mark. On the other hand, JRU dropped to 2-11 and is now scheduled to face the San Sebastian Lady Stags in the Play-In tournament of Group A.
