De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde veteran Gayle Pascual lauded the composure shown by her teammates as they pulled off a dramatic five-set escape of Mapua University on Tuesday.
Up by two sets, the Lady Blazers hopes of a sweep quickly went away as the Lady Cardinals suddenly turned the tide, taking it all the way to a deciding fifth set.
But when it mattered most, Benilde showed why they're the reigning champions.
Behind Pascual and another veteran in Jade Gentapa, the wards of head coach Jerry Yee showed their poise down the stretch en route to their sixth win of the season and 24th straight since 2020.
"Kahit na nagfi-fifth set kami, nandyan pa rin 'yung composure ng team," Pascual said.
"Andyan pa rin 'yung mga seniors na nagli-lead and proud din ako doon sa mga nag-step-up sa amin na pinasok ni coach."
("Even if we went to a fifth set, the composure of the team was still there... Our seniors were still there to lead the way and I'm proud of those who stepped up when they were called on by coach.")
While Pascual and Gentapa carried most of the load, there were those who shone for Benilde with Weilyn Estoque dropping 13 points in the win while Camill Avila chipped in 11 markers. Fiona Getigan also made sure to protect their floor defense with 29 digs and 10 receptions.
"Sabi nga niya, gusto niya na lumalim 'yung rotation namin so binibigyan niya ng exposure 'yung ibang teammates ko."
("Like coach said, he just wanted the rotation to get deeper so he gave exposure to some of my other teammates.")
But Pascual said Benilde remains wary, stressing a lot can still happen with a few games left in the elimination round.
"Wala pa kami doon sa kung ano 'yung aim namin so back to zero lagi. Itong win na 'to, part lang 'to. 'Di pa tapos 'yung trabaho namin."
("We still haven't reached our aim, so we just go back to zero after every game. This win is just a part of it. The job is not yet done.")
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
