Volleyball

Lady Blazers end skid, sweep Fighting Maroons

St. Benilde in tough match against UP.

College of St. Benilde snapped a two-game losing streak with a commanding 25-13, 25-22, 25-21 victory over the University of the Philippines, putting the Lady Blazers back on course in their title-retention bid in the V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge Sunday morning (August 11) at Paco Arena in Manila.

Wielyn Estoque led the charge with 14 points, including 11 attacks, two blocks, and an ace, while Zamantha Nolasco provided strong support with 11 points, highlighted by eight kills and a game-high three blocks.

Their combined efforts were crucial in the Lady Blazers’ comeback after suffering consecutive losses in this pre-season tournament, which they won last year.

“Marami, marami pa dapat i-improve. Any win is a big boost. Sino man kalaban natin next, we have to be prepared,” said CSB head coach Jerry Yee.

Trailing 8-10 in the third set, CSB rallied to seize a five-point lead at 16-11, eventually securing a straight-set victory. Errors from UP, including a net touch by Kianne Olango and an attack error by Yesha Noceja, contributed to Benilde's sweep of the Fighting Maroons.

“We were experimenting with new players in the rotation and didn’t quite find the right combination in the first few games. Hopefully, this rotation will stick,” added Yee.

The Lady Blazers dominated the attacking department, recording 15 kills to UP's 8 in the opening frame. They also broke a 17-all tie in the second set with a 5-1 run, pulling ahead 22-18 to set the stage for their win.

Middle blocker Kassandra Doering led UP with 12 points on 10 attacks and two blocks, but her efforts weren’t enough to prevent her team from slipping to a 2-2 record.

The Lady Blazers will face the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Lady Knights on Aug. 18 at 5 p.m. at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Meanwhile, UP will look to bounce back against the University of the East on Aug. 21 at noon at the same venue.

Tigresses dominate Lady Tams for third straight V-L win

UST wins match over FEU

University of Santo Tomas relied on its offensive prowess to dispose of Far Eastern University in three sets, 25-23, 25-16, 25-13, securing their third straight win in the 2024 V-League Women’s Collegiate Challenge on Sunday afternoon (August 11) at Paco Arena in Manila.

Em Banagua’s defense and the offensive firepower of Angeline Poyos and Regine Jurado were crucial as the Golden Tigresses maintained their clean slate and stayed atop the standings in the pre-season tilt.

“Maganda yung galaw eh, na-minimize namin yung errors namin… Everything was right in place, parang ganoon yung nangyari,” said UST head coach Kungfu Reyes.

Poyos and Jurado poured in 14 and 11 points, respectively, while Banagua tallied eight points built on four blocks, three attacks, and an ace.

Carrying over their momentum from a dominant showing in the second set, the Golden Tigresses led 20-6 in the third set, propelled by four consecutive hits from Kyla Cordora.

After zooming to an 8-0 start in the second set, UST led by as much as 10, 18-8, after an off-the-block attack by Jonna Perdid.

While FEU started to come alive late in the set, a down-the-line hit and an into-the-block attack from reigning UAAP Rookie of the Year Angge Poyos propelled the Golden Tigresses to a two-set-to-none lead.

A back-and-forth affair in the opening set went the way of UST thanks to clutch offensive contributions from Jurado and Perdido.

“Nung first set, ang ganda, everybody’s game nung first set. Luckily, kami yung tumama sa dulo kasi nga tumama yung challenge namin, so malaking turn of events ‘yon,” Reyes added.

The Golden Tigresses will take a two-week break before facing the College of St. Benilde Lady Blazers on Aug. 25, 10 a.m., at the same venue,

No Lady Tamaraw scored in double figures, with Gerzel Petallo chipping in eight points and Jean Asis and Jazlyn Ellarina contributing seven points each in the loss.

FEU will look to bounce back against the winless Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates on Wednesday, Aug. 14.

Bulldogs target No. 3 vs winless Golden Spikers

Action in the PVL collegiate championships.

Games today

10 a.m. – CSB vs UP (women’s)

Noon – FEU vs UST (women’s)

3 p.m. – NU vs UST (men’s)

5 p.m. – Ateneo vs Letran (men’s)

The V-League Collegiate Men’s Challenge continues today (Sunday) at the Paco Arena in Manila with a high-stakes clash between UAAP finalists National U and the University of Santo Tomas.

The Bulldogs and Growling Spikers, who have faced off in the finals over the past two years, are on contrasting paths this season, making their 3 p.m. showdown all the more intriguing.

The Bulldogs, under the guidance of head coach Dante Alinsunurin, are eyeing their third straight victory as they build on their dominant form.

“Paghahandaan pa rin namin kung ano ginagawa namin sa practice. Importante lang ay sa everyday na practice, dapat nagiimprove and every game, based sa situations, dapat magimprove pa,” said Alinsunurin.

On the other hand, UST is desperate to halt its shaky start to the season, having suffered consecutive losses to FEU and La Salle. The Growling Spikers will need to regroup quickly to challenge NU’s momentum.

In the 5 p.m. main event, Ateneo will look to secure its second win in three outings as it faces off against Letran, which is still searching for its first victory.

Aimar Okeke will lead Ateneo’s efforts to bounce back after a four-set loss to FEU. At the same time, Letran’s John Bautista aims to steer his team to a breakthrough win after narrowly missing a reverse sweep against Perpetual last Wednesday.

In the women's division, the FEU Lady Tamaraws and UST Golden Tigresses square off at noon in a marquee UAAP match.

UST, led by Regina Jurado and Bien Arasan, is targeting their third consecutive win. At the same time, FEU, spearheaded by Faida Bakanke, Jean Asis, and Tin Ubaldo, will seek to halt UST’s streak.

UST coach Kungfu Reyes emphasized the importance of addressing their weaknesses and maintaining consistency in transitions:

“Kung ano ‘yung mga kulang namin, ‘yun ang pagtutuunan namin. Kung saan kami medyo mahina pa, pagtutuunan namin ng pansin. At yung consistency ng transition namin, ‘yon naman ang importante,” said Reyes.

Kicking off the day's action at 10 a.m., the defending V-League champion St. Benilde targets its first win of the season against the University of the Philippines with the former to rely on Rhea Densing and Wielyn Estoque in a bid to snap their two-game skid.

However, UP, led by Nina Ytang and Kassandra Doering, expects to put up a tough fight.

Meanwhile, the NU Lady Bulldogs have withdrawn from the tournament due to their participation in two international training camps in Taiwan and the VTV Cup in Ninh Bình, Vietnam. As a result, their four-set win over Letran will not be counted in the standings.

All games will be broadcast live on Solar Sports, league. ph/live, and the V-League’s YouTube channel.