The Letran Lady Knights and Perpetual Help Lady Altas ended the elimination round with wins after coming out on top against their respective opponents on Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Season 101 women’s volleyball tournament.
Perpetual Clinches Top Seed with Win Over Mapua
The Perpetual Help Lady Altas secured the No. 1 seed in Group A after beating the Mapua Lady Cardinals in a climactic five-set match, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 20-25, 15-6.
Perpetual drew first blood by taking the opening set, but the Lady Cardinals responded in the second frame to even the match. Perpetual regained the upper hand in the third set behind timely attacks, only for Mapua to answer once again in the fourth to push the contest into a deciding fifth set.
When it mattered most, Perpetual took full control. The Lady Altas stormed to a 6-0 start in the final frame, highlighted by consecutive attack points from Cy Almeniana. Jem Menor then added two kills to widen the gap to 10-3, putting Mapua on the back foot early in the decider.
Perpetual continued to dictate the pace as Geraldine Palacio delivered a crucial block on Franchesca Esteban to extend the lead to 13-5. From there, Almeniana finished the job by scoring two straight points to seal the victory.
Almeniana turned in a dominant performance with 28 points, including 5 in the deciding set. Menor contributed 14 markers, while Camille Bustamante added 13 points to support the Lady Altas’ offense.
Mapua, meanwhile, ended up with a 5-7 record despite strong efforts from rookie Alexander Leabres and Raissa Ricablanca, who both scored 18 points. Freighanne Garcia also chipped in 14 markers in the losing cause.
Perpetual now awaits its next opponent, which could be the JRU Lady Bombers, San Sebastian Lady Stags, or Mapua again.
Letran Goes 13-0 After Sweeping Arch Rivals San Beda
The Letran Lady Knights completed a sweep of the elimination stage after a straight-sets win against the San Beda Lady Red Spikers, 25-18, 25-18, 25-21.
The Lady Knights leaned on their reliable offensive duo of Judiel Nitura and Vanessa Sarie to dictate the pace early and build comfortable leads in the opening two sets. Nitura’s and Sarie’s consistent attacks and disciplined defense allowed Letran to stay firmly in control against its arch rival.
In the third set, Letran again took the initiative. Nitura sparked an early surge with a service ace before delivering a back-row attack that pushed the Lady Knights ahead, 9-4. Middle blocker Leonilyn Padilla added a quick hit in the middle to extend the lead to 14-10 as Letran continued to apply pressure.
The Lady Knights widened the gap to 23-17 after another ace from Nitura and a string of San Beda errors. The Lady Red Spikers attempted a late comeback, scoring three straight points to trim the deficit to 23-20 and briefly threatening to extend the match.
However, Letran quickly shut the door as Nitura and Sarie delivered back-to-back kills to seal the straight-sets victory.
Nitura finished with 18 points built on 13 attacks, 4 aces, and 1 block to lead the Lady Knights, while Sarie added 9 markers along with 8 digs and 9 receptions in an all-around performance.
Meanwhile, San Beda dropped to 9-4 but is still going to the quarterfinals as the third seed in Group B. Angel Habacon paced the Lady Red Spikers with 17 points and 6 digs, while Janelle Bachar was limited to 6 markers.
The Lady Knights, like Perpetual, will also have some rest as they wait for their quarterfinal opponent. It could be either the EAC Lady Generals or the Lyceum Lady Pirates, as the two squads will battle in the Play-In.
