Game 1 of the finals between the Letran Lady Knights and the Benilde Lady Blazers in the NCAA Season 101 Women’s Volleyball Tournament went down the wire, and it was Vanessa Sarie who scored the game-winning attack for Letran to inch closer to a championship.
Sarie, who finished the match with 19 points, said in an exclusive post-game interview with Rebanse that their coaching staff reminded them to treat this series as “now or never.”
‘Tsinatsaga din naman talaga namin lahat so, sabi nga ng mga coaching staff namin, ito ‘yung now or never, pinanghahawakan lang po namin ‘yun” Sarie said. ‘And yun binigyan kami ni Lord ng chance para makalaro ulit sa championship, so grinab namin ‘yung opportunity na ‘yun kaya nandito kami and pinupusuan talaga namin yung laro namin.”
Vanessa Sarie, Benilde Finisher
Curiously, in the the two games that Benilde and Letran played this season, it was Vanessa Sarie who scored the game winning spike for Letran.
In their elimination round meeting, Sarie had 13 points, including the last one. In their latest match on Sunday, with the stakes higher than ever, the 20-year-old again finished off the Lady Blazers. Afterward, Sarie credited her coaches and her graduating teammates for reminding the Lady Knights to be brave and have heart in clutch moments.
‘Always pong nire-remind sa amin ng coaching staff po namin and nung seniors na graduating sa amin na tapangan lang, ‘yung puso sa laro nandoon dapat kase fifth set eh, hindi na mag ma-matter ‘yung skills kasi pantay-pantay na,” the open spiker said.
Benilde appeared in control early in the fifth, turning a tight 4-all contest into a 7-4 lead and later stretching it to 10-8 behind key plays from Cam Bartolome and Shahanna Lleses.
However, Letran refused to back down, responding with crucial hits from Vanessa Sarie and a timely ace from Joralyn Panangin to tie the set at 10-all. The Lady Knights erupted with a decisive 5-0 closing run, sparked by Sarie’s attack and highlighted by back-to-back service aces from Judiel Nitura.
A costly attack error from Benilde, followed by another Sarie hit, sealed the hard-earned victory for Letran.
“So ‘yung iniisip ko lang doon sa set five and doon sa padulong set, iniisip ko lang na tapangan ko and pusoan ko ang laro,” Sarie added.
Vanessa Sarie and the Lady Knights are one win away from capping off a superb season, and they will need more of that tapang and puso if they want to end on a golden note.
Game 2 is this Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
