De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde protected its winning streak but had to survive a huge scare from Mapua University, 25-22, 25-16, 24-26, 22-25, 15-13, in the NCAA Season 98 women's volleyball tournament on Tuesday.
The defending champions have now won their 24th straight game dating back to Season 95 to improve to an immaculate 6-0 record while Mapua saw its four-game winning streak snapped to drop to 4-2.
The Lady Blazers got off to a flying start, blanking the Lady Cardinals in the first two sets to establish a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Mapua, dubbed as the queens of five sets after having to figure in four of the last five games prior to today, lived to fight another day after securing the next two sets to force a decider and their fifth five-setter this season.
Mapua kept Benilde at bay in the final frame before Jade Gentapa completed a combination attack for an 8-7 lead. Back-to-back crucial kills from Hannah De Guzman then sent Mapua to a 10-9 cushion as Gayle Pascual hammered two consecutive attacks to give the Taft crew the match point, 14-12.
Tere Manalo, who had been consistent for Mapua the past games, saved one point for the Lady Cardinals but Gentapa served up the clincher as Benilde escaped with the victory.
This made it back-to-back five-set games for Benilde as it also had to survive Lyceum of the Philippines University last Saturday.
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
