De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde commenced its campaign with a win against Arellano University, 25-22, 27-25, 27-29, 25-19, on Thursday in the opening day of NCAA Season 100 men's volleyball at the San Sebastian College-Recoletos gym in Manila.
After being tied at 7 in the fourth set, the Blazers had an early 15-11 lead before the Chiefs broke the short dry spell. From there, the Blazers reclaimed control of the game as they led 22-19 before making three straight points with a Rocky Roy Motol finishing the match.
"Coming from the pandemic, dito lang talaga kami naka-stable ng program. Dito namin naihabol ang mga kailangan ihabol," Benilde head coach Arnold Laniog said, adding that they had tuneup games against other schools and clubs as they prepared for the season.
Laniog added it was a good thing that they recovered after their third set hiccup.
"Mental toughness talaga or sa breaks of the game na sa last two points kami pa nagbigay, error namin. Buti naka-recover kaagad coming to the fourth set," added the Benilde head coach.
The 21-year old Motol, a rookie, had 25 points anchored on 23 attacks and an ace, while Mike Balbacal and Jacob Agassi Herrera had 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Taft-based squad.
CJ Dominguito led the Chiefs with 17 points, while Carl Berdal had 12 points in the debut of new head coach Carl Bryan Vitug.
Benilde will next face Jose Rizal University on March 1, while Arellano will go against Lyceum of the Philippines University on Saturday.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
