College of St. Benilde dismantled San Beda in straight sets 25-10, 25-13, 25-15 to open its NCAA Season 97 women's volleyball tournament campaign on a good note on Saturday, June 11 at the Paco Arena
Holdovers Gayle Pascual and Mycah Go provided the one-two punch for the Lady Blazers as they punished the Lady Red Spikers' floor defense with relentless attacks to pick up where they left off in Season 95 after they topped the elimination with a clean 7-0 slate before the tournament was halted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Benilde also bucked the absence of head coach Jerry Yee who is currently in Thailand together with the U18 women’s national team for the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship as both Pascual and Go finished with 10 points apiece and combined for the 15 of the 35 total kills of the Lady Blazers.
Cloane Modonedo orchestrated the attack for the Lady Blazers with 16 excellent sets as their free flowing offense caught the Lady Red Spikers’ defense napping in the first two sets to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
“Naipakita lang ng mga bata yung tini-train namin araw-araw” Benilde assistant coach Jay Chua. “Sinabi ko lang sa kanila na strong mindset lang, kumilos lang sila ng kumilos habang di pa tapos yung game.”
Consecutive errors on the side of Benilde pumped some life to the hopes of San Beda in the third set but Pascual and Go were quick to atone from the Lady Blazers miscues as a drop ball from Camill Avilla put the nail in the coffin on the Lady Spikers.
San Beda looked in disarray in their first game after two years as they struggled offensively following the departure of last season’s main guns Ceska and Daryl Raqraquin and Nieza Viray.