NCAA: St. Benilde sweeps Arellano in Finals rematch

MANILA — College of Saint Benilde swept Arellano University in a rematch of last season’s Finals, 25-15, 25-21, 25-19, in the NCAA women’s volleyball tournament on Wednesday at the San Andres Sports Complex.

The Lady Blazers, who are unbeaten in eight matches, remain on course for a second consecutive championship appearance. They are also assured of a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final 4 of Season 98.

Cloanne Mondoñedo deftly orchestrated the Lady Blazers’ offense with 17 excellent sets on top of her five points. Jade Gentapa led the way for Benilde with 21 points while Gayle Pascual chipped in 17 points on 15-of-29 spikes and collected 10 digs.

“Kasama naman sila doon sa NCAA team na pinaghahandaan din namin, Aminin man namin sa hindi, lahat naman ng teams nag-improve pati sila,” said Mondoñedo. 

The Lady Chiefs, who were led by Moming Padillon’s eight-point, seven-dig outing, fell to fifth place with their third loss in seven matches. 

Benilde seeks to complete a nine-match sweep of eliminations against also-ran Jose Rizal University on Sunday.

Mapua later opened a one-and-a-half game lead over Arellano in the race for the last semifinals berth with a 25-23, 25-19, 26-24 victory over already-eliminated San Beda.

Roxie dela Cruz led the Lady Cardinals with 15 points, including six service aces, six digs and five receptions, Tere Manalo hammered 14 kills while Hannah de Guzman had two service aces for a nine-point outing.

“Tsina-challenge ko yung mga players namin. Sinasabi ko nga, ang kapalaran namin dito sa Season 85 is nasa kamay namin,” said Mapua coach Aying Esteban. “Para wala na kaming iisipin, must win kami itong last game namin.”

With a 6-2 record, Mapua moved into a tie with idle Lyceum of the Philippines University in third place.

The Lady Cardinals will face the Lady Altas on Sunday.

Men’s action saw Arellano improve to 6-1 following a 25-20, 25-13, 21-25, 25-14 victory over Benilde. The Cardinals hope to get the job done after last season’s heartbreaker of not reaching the Final Four.