The Mapua Lady Cardinals and Letran Lady Knights notched victories on Wednesday at the Emilio Aguinaldo College Gym to carry winning momentum in the NCAA Season 101 Women’s Volleyball Tournament.
Mapua Outlasts JRU
Mapua showed poise under pressure against JRU in a gripping five-set duel that it won, 25-18, 25-19, 24-26, 21-25, 16-14.
The Lady Cardinals dictated the early tempo, claiming the first two sets behind a balanced attack and steady floor defense. Raissa Ricablanca set the tone offensively, while veteran middle blocker Nicole Ong made her presence felt at the net as Mapua moved within a set of closing the match.
JRU, however, refused to fold. Czarina Ramos ignited the Lady Bombers’ rally in the third frame, helping extend the contest before they forced a decider by taking the fourth set. With momentum on their side, JRU threatened to complete a reverse sweep.
The final set turned into a test of nerves. Ricablanca fired back-to-back hits to push Mapua ahead, but Kring Batara answered with consecutive attacks to swing the lead in JRU’s favor. Rookie Alexander Leabres later delivered a clutch kill to put the Lady Cardinals at match point, only for Nicole Deala to respond and keep the Lady Bombers alive.
In the end, Mapua leaned on experience. Freighanne Garcia blasted a decisive down-the-line hit before a JRU attack sailed long, sealing the hard-earned victory.
Ricablanca finished with 23 points and 15 digs, while Ong added 19 markers, highlighted by 5 blocks. Garcia chipped in 16 points and 15 receptions, and Leabres contributed 11. Ramos paced JRU with 24 points, with Deala and Batara adding 18 and 14, respectively.
The win lifted the Lady Cardinals to 5-6 in Group A and strengthened their bid for an outright quarterfinal berth. JRU, on the other hand, slipped to 2-10.
Lady Knights Extend Winning Streak to 11
The Lady Knights once again extended their dominance as they swept the Lyceum Lady Pirates, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23.
The Lady Knights dictated the pace early, taking the opening two sets behind steady execution on both ends. Senior opposite spiker Judiel Nitura powered the offense while anchoring the service line, helping Letran seize control and keep the Lady Pirates at bay.
In the third set, Letran looked poised for another comfortable finish after Nitura sparked a 4-1 start with an ace and later widened the gap to 16-12 with another booming serve. Just when the match seemed headed for a routine closeout, Lyceum mounted a late charge. Veteran Johna Dolorito ignited the comeback, firing a sharp down-the-line hit from the left to trim the deficit to 22-20 and breathe life into the Lady Pirates’ rally.
But Letran held firm in crunch time.
A costly service error by Lyceum stalled its momentum, and Nitura quickly capitalized, soaring from the opposite side to hammer home the finishing blow and complete the straight-sets triumph.
Nitura delivered an all-around performance with 14 points built on 9 attacks, 4 aces, and 1 block, steering the Lady Knights to an unblemished 11-0 mark in Group A. The victory moved Letran within two wins of sweeping the elimination round and securing the top spot in its pool.
Lyceum, meanwhile, slipped to 3-9, leaving the Lady Pirates needing to navigate the play-in stage in Group B to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive.
