The Letran Knights pulled off a stunning comeback against the Benilde Blazers, 25‑27, 22‑25, 23‑25, 27‑25, 15‑13, to hand th latter their first loss of the 2026 V‑League Collegiate Challenge on Saturday at Gameville Central Park in Mandaluyong City.
The Knights fell behind after Benilde took the second and third sets but refused to let the match slip away. Letran rallied late in the fourth set before holding its nerve in the deciding frame to complete the comeback.
With the score tied at 11‑all in the fourth, Benilde appeared ready to take control after putting together a 9‑3 run for a 20‑14 advantage. Letran responded with a 10‑4 surge, eventually forcing the set to deuce after a Reymark Betco attack went long. The Knights then grabbed the next two points to send the match to a fifth set.
Letran carried that momentum into the decider, with Vince Himzon and Dave Lardizabal helping the Knights build a 14‑12 cushion. Himzon then finished the job with another quick attack, completing the two‑hour‑and‑13‑minute comeback.
“Kasi diba [‘yong] first set nakuha namin, tapos medyo nag‑relax sila. Akala kasi nila ‘yong kalaban ay magiging go‑easy sa kanila. Syempre champion ng NCAA, so hindi natin pwedeng i‑easy‑easy lang,” said Letran head coach Jessie Lopez.
“Kailangan lang nilang maintindihan na ‘yong ginagawa namin every day sa training is gagawin mo [rin] sa game. Hindi puwede na may sistema kaming ginagawa sa training, tapos iba lang ang gagawin mo sa game,” he added.
Lardizabal led the Knights with 24 points, while Himzon and Jessel Nimmo contributed 15 apiece. Betco paced Benilde with 16 points, while Rocky Motol finished with 19.
The win pushed Letran to 3‑1 and gave the Knights the top spot in the standings after winning three straight games following their tournament‑opening loss to Arellano. Benilde, meanwhile, fell to 2‑1.
Letran will look to extend its winning streak to four against De La Salle University on Sunday, September 6, at noon. Benilde will try to bounce back against reigning V‑League champions Far Eastern University at 10 a.m. on the same day.
Arellano Keeps UST Winless
Later in the day, the Arellano Chiefs also came away with a five‑set victory, frustrating the UST Golden Spikers, 23‑25, 25‑22, 25‑16, 13‑25, 15‑12.
The Golden Spikers forced a decider after dominating the fourth set, but the Lady Chiefs regained their composure in the final frame.
Arellano opened a 10‑6 lead after a CJ Dominguito off‑the‑block attack and held on despite UST’s attempts to close the gap. Gboy de Vega’s service error eventually ended the Golden Spikers’ comeback after two hours and eight minutes.
“One point lang lagi at the time. Tapos mag‑focus lang kami, point by point. Tapos sana, ang importante eh, 100% effort talaga para makuha naman ang panalo lang,” said Arellano head coach Bryan Vitug. “Kada point talaga dapat tinatrabaho, hindi basta‑basta [nawawala ang] focus.”
Dominguito paced the Chiefs with 21 points, while Arvin Garcia added 11.
De Vega led UST with 18 points, while JJ Macam and Trevor Valera finished with 16 apiece. John Catinsag added 10.
Arellano improved to 2‑1 and will return to action against the La Salle Green Archers on Saturday, September 5, at 10 a.m. UST, meanwhile, remained winless at 0‑3 and will have two weeks to regroup before facing the Mapua Cardinals on Saturday, September 12, at 3 p.m.
