The quarterfinals of the NCAA Season 101 Women’s Volleyball Tournament got underway on Sunday, with the EAC Lady Generals stunning Perpetual Help Lady Altas and the Letran Lady Knights advancing to the semifinals with a win over the San Sebastian Lady Stags
EAC Forces Win-or-Go-Home Match Against Perpetual
The EAC Lady Generals scored only their second win of the tournament on Sunday after beating the No. 1 seed in Group A, the Perpetual Lady ALTAs, in four sets, 25-18, 19-25, 27-25, 25-22.
EAC grabbed the opening set behind its aggressive offense before Perpetual responded in the second to even the contest. The pivotal third set turned into a tightly contested battle, with Alex Razonable forcing a 24-all deadlock.
Although Perpetual briefly moved to set point following a block by Geraldine Palacio, the Lady Generals capitalized on an attack error from Jemalyn Menor and followed it with consecutive points to steal the set, 27-25.
The Lady Altas attempted to regain control in the fourth frame and even built an 18-17 advantage behind back-to-back service aces from Palacio. EAC quickly answered with a decisive 5-1 run highlighted by a quick attack from rookie Ashley Toriado to seize the momentum.
Cara Dayanan later delivered two crucial hits that pushed the Lady Generals to match point at 24-21. Perpetual tried to extend the match, but a service error by Camille Bustamante ultimately handed EAC the victory.
Rookie Angel Perez led the Lady Generals with a stellar 24-point outing, while Toriado added 16 points highlighted by an impressive 10 blocks. Razonable chipped in 14 markers and 12 digs, while Dayanan contributed 10 points.
Jemalyn Menor paced the Lady Altas with 22 points, while Cy Almeniana finished with 15.
The Lady Generals were 0-13 in the eliminations and only had their first victory after beating the Lyceum Lady Pirates in the Play-In Tournament. The deciding Game 2 is set on Wednesday at the Strike Gymnasium in Bacoor, Cavite.
Letran Beats San Sebastian to Keep their Winning Streak
The Letran Lady Knights have now won 14-straight games after beating the San Sebastian Lady Stags, 28-26, 12-25, 25-14, 25-22, to clinch a semifinals berth.
The opening set turned into a tense back-and-forth contest as San Sebastian forced a 26-all deadlock. Letran managed to escape the extended frame after a Lady Stags attack error followed by a service ace from Vanessa Sarie to claim the set, 28-26.
San Sebastian quickly responded in the second frame, catching Letran off guard behind the combined scoring efforts of Tina Marasigan, Kath Santos, and Juna May Gonzales to dominate the set, 25-12, and level the match.
The Lady Knights regrouped in the third set, regaining control with a convincing 25-14 win before facing another tight battle in the fourth. With the score tied at 15-all, Letran launched a decisive 4-0 run sparked by Judiel Nitura to gain separation.
The Lady Stags answered with a late rally led by Santos to trim the gap to 21-20, but the Lady Knights responded with three straight points to reach match point.
San Sebastian attempted one final push with back-to-back points, but Sarie broke through the block in the next play to seal the victory.
The sophomore open spiker delivered an all-around performance with 22 points, 11 digs, and 9 receptions, while Nitura added 15 markers. Leonilyn Padilla and Nizelle Martin chipped in 10 points apiece, with setter Natalie Estreller orchestrating the offense with 27 excellent sets.
Gonzales led San Sebastian with 18 points, while Santos and Marasigan contributed 17 and 15, respectively, in the losing effort as the Lady Stags bowed out of the tournament.
Letran has now entered the Final Four for three straight seasons and have the luxury of rest as they won’t play again until March 22.
