While De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde has been sweeping most of the NCAA women's volleyball games since Season 97, there were a few times that they were pushed to the limit by their opponents.
One was the Lady Blazers' five-set match on Saturday against Lyceum of the Philippines University, where they notched their fifth straight win in Season 98.
For assistant coach Jay Chua, who steered the Taft-based squad to the win in lieu of head coach Jerry Yee, the five-setter was a test of character for the Lady Blazers.
"'Yung fifth set kasi talagang labanan ng character ng bawat isa. Sa simula ng fifth set, nauna kami, magandang simula 'yun kaya kami nanalo this game," Chua said.
("The fifth set was a real battle of character for everyone. The start of the fifth set, we had a good start and that's why we won the game.")
But with the targets on their back, Chua said the five-setter could serve as a wake-up call for them to prepare more.
"Siguro lahat ng team pinaghahandaan kami. Parang wake-up call na namin 'to kasi lahat ng team talaga gusto kami talunin. So dapat 'yung mindset namin is magprepare pa rin kami, at saka lalo na sa mindset namin."
("I guess all of the other teams are preparing for us. That should be a wake-up call for us because all the teams want to beat us. So our mindset should be that we prepare for that.")
Coincidentally, it was also the Lady Pirates who the Taft-based squad defeated in their last five-setter back in January 17, 2020 in NCAA Season 95.
This is not the first time however that Benilde dropped a set since the tournament returned last season. It won in four sets against Colegio de San Juan de Letran back in Season 97 and one in their opening match this season against San Sebastian College-Recoletos.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
